Legends
by Clownwithachainsaw
Summary: In a future where nobody remembers the Marvels beyond comic books, one man, a relic of the past, chooses nine heroes to fight for the future. Some scenes of intense graphic violence.
1. Chpt 1 An Old Man Tells A Story

**_Chapter One; In Which An Old Man Tells A Story_**

_Legends die hard. They survive as truth rarely does.__  
__**Helen Hayes**_

The morning sun woke the old man, just like it did every day. He stretched, feeling the comfortable weight on his belly and listening to the songs of the morning birds. The old Bugle newspapers he was using as blankets scattered off him, the smiling of Victor Von Doom, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. plastered on the front pages.

He gathered his cloak around him and sat on the park bench a while, taking his red tinted glasses out of their case and putting them on. He ran his fingers through his grey hair, and let out a remorseful sigh, like he did every morning. He checked the covering around the baby girl he was carrying in a pouch. It was still securely fastened.

He got up and stretched, his backbones popping noisily after their uncomfortable night. Some punk ran straight into him, and he curled up into a ball on the ground, protecting the baby.

"Watch where you're going old timer." The punk sneered, barely slowing down.

The baby began crying, and the old man rocked it, making shushing noises.

"Need a hand?"

The voice seemed friendly enough. The old man reached out, and a firm grip took his hand and pulled him up. "Are you okay man?" A young man asked. He was a native American, tall and strong.

"I'm fine." The old man answered gruffly, still rocking his baby.

"Here." The young man pressed money into the older man's hand. "Buy something for the baby to eat."

The old man raised an eyebrow at the money, and then smiled. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Stephen Redwing." The younger man replied.

"Well, thank you Steve." The old man said. "You take care of yourself." He took out his cane and began tapping his way down the path, hushing and cooing his baby.

"Hey, old man! You dropped this!" The old man turned and Steve pressed the comic into his hands. "Wow, do you know what this is?"

The old man nodded. "The Amazing Spider-man. Issue one."

"You realize you could make a lot of money selling this?"

The old man shook his head. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine." Then he went on his way.

* * *

**One Day Later…**

The old man ducked into an alley looking for shelter. He took off a bit of his hot dog and offered it to his baby. "Want some?" The little girl clapped, her blue eyes shining up at him. She ate her portion almost as greedily as the old man ate his.

The old man stopped, as he realized that this alley was occupied.

Seven large men were standing in front of Steve Redwing, each one holding a plank of wood with nails in it. Six other kids stood behind Steve, a good distance behind.

"You're overdue Redwing." The leader growled. "And the kingpin don't like that. Now, you and your little Yancy Street gang here gotta pay the Devils their due."

_So, these are the Devil's gang._ The old man thought. _They must be expanding from Hell's Kitchen._

Redwing didn't back down. "Give me some more time and I can get the Kingpin his money, and a little extra."

"Ha! No man, you've been pushing your luck way too long. You don't think word hasn't gotten around? The protection racket you guys run, it's an honest protection racket. And if the guys pay you, you'll actually protect them. This is an embarrassment to street gangs all over New York, and it's gonna hafta end."

"Oh yeah?" One of the guys behind Steve stepped up, hefting a baseball bat. "Excalibur here might have a bit to say on that subject."

Redwing took a step forward, motioning for him to stand back. "Fine. I'll accept the punishment. But the rest of my gang doesn't deserve –"

The Devil's gang burst into laughter. "You hear that guys?" He asked. "He thinks his little gang doesn't deserve their punishment! You don't get to decide what you deserve." The leader said. "You are one dead bunch of droogs."

"hah!" The other boy laugh. "We have Excalibur. You are outnumbered." The Devil's gang laughed harder.

The old man hesitated. This didn't concern him. He should just walk away, worry about baby… but he owed Steve a twenty. He sighed. It was a while since he'd done anything impetuous.

He walked up the two gangs. "Excuse me, Steve?" He asked. Everybody turned their heads to look at him. "Hold the baby for me."

"What?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Just hold her." The old man said, taking her out of her pouch and handing her over.

The Devil's gang began to laugh as Steve lifted the baby. "Look old man," He began to say in a hurry. "I don't think you understand the situation here…"

The old man whipped out his cane.

He started by jumping into the air and kicking the leader in the face, dropping him to the ground like a stone, followed shortly by his teeth. He spun his cane around sweeping the next guy off his feet and using him as a spring-board to launch himself at the next guy, hitting him in the back of the neck. He delivered a final kick to his springboard and made a few adjustments to his cane. By this time the remaining Devils realized they were getting beaten by an old blind man and started to swing their clubs at him. The old man dodged expertly, and the cane in his hands transformed into a billy club. With one good throw he bounced it off the Devil's skulls, and he caught it as it came back to him. Only one was left standing. He finished him off with a kick between the legs.

He readjusted the billy club back into a cane and walked over to Steve, as he was staring dumbstruck. "Thanks." He said, taking back the baby.

"No." An African-American girl stepped up. "Thank you old timer. We were buttered toast until you came along."

"Yeah thanks." Steve said. "This is Oceana, Leo, Ben, Cho, Sofia, and Alex." He gestured to the people behind him. "We're the Yancy Street Gang."

"Good to meet you." The old man answered gruffly, and he began walking down the alley.

"Are you Daredevil?"

The old man stopped and turned around. "What?"

Oceana blushed. "I... you know… Daredevil. The blind man who protected hell's kitchen in Marvel comics."

"Oh get real Ocy." Sofia nudged her. "Comic books?"

The old man turned to leave, then stopped as thunder echoed in the sky. Rain started to fall. He hated rain. So did his baby. "Hey, you need a place to stay?" Steve asked over the downpour. The old man hesitated, then nodded.

* * *

The old man rubbed his hands over the warmth of the fire. The Nancy Street Gang had decided that it wasn't safe in their old hide-out, so they were in the abandoned Grimm Youth Center. Ben and Alex went searching for food in the vending machines. Cho was sitting by the window, looking out for trouble. Leo was keeping the fire going. Oceana and Steve were talking with Sofia in a corner.

"Daredevil doesn't exist Oceana." Sofia said. "Sure, this guy is blind and he does kick some serious ass, but next thing you know you'll be talking about Batman or Superman or… Oh, I don't know, I don't read comics. What's a superhero team in comic book land Steve?"

"The Avengers?"

The old man winced.

"Leo believes me, and so does Alex."

"yeah, well Leo's your boyfriend, he'll agree to anything. And Alex isn't… well, you know… all there."

A loud crash came from outside of the room. Moments later, Alex came back in, swinging his baseball bat, followed by Ben dragging a broken vending machine. "They said I was crazy, they said it couldn't be done! But I showed them, I showed them all. Behold! We return bearing food!" He eagerly bit into a musketeer bar.

"I still say he's Dardevil." Oceana muttered.

"Yeah, well I'm not." The old man said. Everybody turned to him. "I have good ears." He explained, digging into a bag of pretzels.

Oceana walked over to the fire. "Well if you're not Daredevil, how can you fight so good blind? And what's with the blind man's cane that turns into a billy club?"

The old man hesitated, then sighed, giving in. "It was a gift." He said. "From the real Daredevil."

"Impossible." Sofia said. "Daredevil doesn't exist."

"No, but he used to." The old man said. "He and Captain America, Spider-man, the Avengers, mutants, Atlantis, the Savage Land, and all the other old stories your government doesn't want you to think are real."

"Well if they all exist, then what happened to them?" Steve asked.

"I'll tell you." The old man said. "I'll tell you about the fall of the Age of Heroes."

"Oooooh… Story-time." Alex bit into his chocolate bar excitedly.

* * *

_**Thirty-Five years earlier:**_

_Spider-man swung unsteadily through the New York skyline, flailing around at the end of his web-shooters, trying desperately to hold on to his webbing. With one last swing he swooped down towards Avenger's mansion. The stones that once shone bright with hope were now laying crumbling on the grass, the barest skeleton of its infrastructure still standing. _

_Spider-man broke a rib against a window frame on his way down, and he tumbled to the floor. He rose unsteadily. "cap?" He called. "Logan? Johnny?" _

"_Over here Spider-man." A skinny old man in an ill-fitting Captain America uniform emerged from the shadows, dragging his shield behind him._

"_Oh no." Spider-man sighed. "They got you too."_

"_I don't think there's anybody left they didn't get." Cap said. "Bruce is trying to make contact with anybody else, but it doesn't look good."_

_Spider-man followed Cap into the sub-levels of Avenger mansion. "Black Cat's dead." He said. "And the Sinister Seven. They put up one hell of a fight. Except Goblin; he tried to make a deal with them. They blew his head off."_

"_Poor demented bastard." Cap grunted. He lost his grip on his shield and it fell down the stairs with a loud clang. He screamed in frustration and collapsed on the stairs. "We were fools Spider-man." Cap cried. "We took our powers for granted, and the government got scared of us, just like they got scared of mutants. And now look at us." _

_Spider-man sat down next to him and put a hand on hand on his back._

_Johnny Storm came up, carrying Cap's shield. "Hey Cap? You dropped this."_

_Cap looked into the white star with a look of hopelessness._

"_Captain." Spider-man said. "If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's this; when the going gets hardest, that's when it's most important to keep on fighting." _

_Cap let out a grim chuckle. "What happened to 'with great power comes great responsibility?'"_

_Spider-man shrugged. "Well, that goes without saying but it's equally applicable to the situation."_

_Cap shook his head. "How can we apply your uncle's words to this situation Peter? We're powerless."_

_Spider-man tilted his head. "You really think that?"_

_Cap sighed then resolutely took his shield from Johnny's hands. "Come on. We have work to do."_

_They walked down to the command center together. Bruce was at the monitors talking to Union Jack and Blazing Skull. Skull's head was noticeably not blazing. Iron Fist meditated on the floor as Squirrel Girl paced around him, agitated. Johnny Blaze was trying to write cultic symbols on the wall with his blood to summon Mephistopheles. Thor stared at his hammer, after failing to pick it up for the thirteenth time. Wolverine sat in the corner, coughing up blood._

"_Hey Cap, when's that last stand happening?" He growled._

"_As soon as Bruce has everybody together, we can go."_

_Wolverine coughed viscously. "My own skeleton is killing me. I don't want to go out like this Captain. I want to go out fighting and slashing at the people who did this to us…" He was interrupted by another coughing fit._

_Captain America walked over to the monitor. "Is everybody ready Bruce?"_

"_Almost." Bruce said. "Jones is ready with his team of already non-powered heroes, and Daredevil's bringing the Marvel Knights. But the Invaders can't make it."_

"_Why not?" The Captain asked Union Jack._

"_Because the Invaders are dead." He said. "Me and Skull here are the only ones left, and we're pinned down. Can you do this without us?"_

_Cap thought silently for a moment. "It might work." He said. _

"_I'm sorry we couldn't help." Union Jack said._

"_Don't worry about it." Cap frowned. "Worry about staying alive." He turned to Bruce. "What about the Fantastic Five?"_

_Bruce shook his head. "Last I heard, they were caught and killed in Central Park. I haven't managed to reach Tony yet. We can only assume…"_

_Cap sighed. "Blackbolt?"_

"_There's been a revolt among the Inhumans. He can't send any help."_

_Cap slammed his fist into the table and pulled it back hastily, wincing in pain. "I don't think we can do this." He said. _

"_I do." Daredevil tapped his way into the room, followed by Moon Knight and Luke Cage supporting Deadpool between them, his face more misshapen than usual. _

_Cap nodded. "Thanks for coming Daredevil, but we're outgunned."_

"_I don't think so." Daredevil said. "I'm here. And you. And Spider-man. And most of the Avengers. I'd say that anybody who wants a piece of us is outgunned."_

"_Welcome to the gun show." Deadpool said hoarsely. "We accept Visa… Paypal… or a whole lot of buttwhoopin'."_

"_You're Captain America." Daredevil said. "We'll never lose if you're here." _

"_But I'm not Captain America!" Cap pulled his loose-fitting mask back and dropped his shield. "I'm just Steve Rogers. And I wasn't fit to join the army back when kids far younger than me could get in, what makes you think I'm fit to be an Avenger, much lead lead them!"_

"_Well, I'm pretty sure you can still beat up little girls in cute pink dresses." Deapool noted. "That's got to count for something…"_

"_Don't you ever shut up?" Cap asked._

"_I'll shut up when I'm dead and buried." Deadpool said. "Until then… I think I'll go hit on She-hulk."_

_Cap stormed out of the room. He emerged into the New York twilight, and breathed in deeply, trying to relax. He hated this. He hated that he was powerless. _

"_Captain?" Cap turned face to face with Kurt Wagner, now utterly normal looking and bare-foot. _

"_Kurt?" Cap asked. "What are you doing here?"_

"_The X-men are here to help." Kurt said._

"_The X-men…" Cap pushed past him and looked over the rubble. An army sat on the Mansion's front steps, everybody who had ever been an X-man was there. Hellion was there, leading the Brotherhood and the Acolytes. There were even some mutants who he didn't recognize. They were all dressed in X-men uniform and each wielding some type of makeshift weapon, ranging from guns, to crowbars, to brooms with the head broken off._

"_This isn't your fight Kurt." Cap said. "You're all normal now, you can hide somewhere and live normal lives. You don't have to be here."_

"_With all due respect Captain, the hell we don't." Kurt replied. "Those sentinels are killing heroes, friends, and we are going to do everything in our power to stop it."_

_Cap looked back. The Avengers came out behind him. "You once said to me, that being Captain America was about more than powers." Daredevil said, handing his shield back to him. "Prove it. I dare you."_

_Cap picked up his shield and turned to address the collection of depowered mutants and heroes. _

"_Hello." He said. "We all have one thing in common; we once had superpowers. We didn't ask for these powers, how could we? No morally sane man would accept the responsibility that comes with them. The threat to their lives and loved ones. The world is truly fortunate that these powers, these chances to become something extraordinary, found their way into some of the bravest and greatest men and women I've had the honor of knowing."_

"_Unfortunately, others have gained powers and have used them criminally. S.H.I.E.L. decided, that these threats to society must be dealt with in the firmest manner possible; making superpowers illegal. They want to go back to the world before the first Human Torch showed up, the beacon that first lit the way for us. "_

"_Maybe, they're right. Maybe the world would be a better place if we let the normal people live their own lives and handle their own problems. Maybe they would be better off if they didn't look to the skies for a superman when a bank is robbed. But as far as I can see, that's not the issue. We aren't doing what we're doing to solve the world's problems. There will always be evil in this world. There will always be crime, misery, and despair."_

"_We fight, not because we think we can eradicate evil; we fight because we can. We fight because all evil needs to prosper is for good men to do nothing. Good men, who do nothing because they do not believe they can do anything. I am ashamed to say, that most of us had to have our powers thrust at us for us to make that choice. But now that we have lost our powers, do we stand down?"_

"_If you want to leave, if you want to hide and live a normal life, than leave now! You'll fit right in with the billions who you'll be living with. But now that you know what it's like to be able to make a difference - even a small one - for the better, can you sit in your living rooms and live your lives with a free conscience? Can you live your days knowing that you once spat in the face of villainy daily? Can you blame it all on your powers, and say with any honesty that without your powers you are no more than anybody else?"_

"_No! Even without our powers, S.I.E.L.D. is hunting us, killing us, and do you know why? It's because they know – they know what true power is. True power isn't flying, or lifting trucks, or firing rockets from our fingers. Our true power, the power that made each of us heroes, is being able to look at the odds, and look at the chances, and to say; 'I probably won't win, but I'll do it anyway – because it's right!' "_

"_Flying will only get us halfway there, the reason we can truly call ourselves __**super**__heroes is because we refuse to stand down when our neighbors are victim to senseless crime. We refuse to wander upon a robbery and say, 'it's not my problem'. It is our problem! Every single man woman and child on this earth has the power to stand up when the bad guys say sit! To stand between evil and its goal, and when asked to move say; 'No, you move'."_

"_My friends are being hunted down because mankind is jealous of them for being what they wish they could be, because it is so much easier to bring heroes down than to bring themselves up. And while this is happening, I will be climbing that uphill slope! I will be spitting at the odds between the eyes! Will I win? Maybe, maybe not. But I won't be at the bottom of the hill, wondering what would have happened if I tried to climb it! And that is enough for me! "_

"_So, friends, enemies, whoever you are! If you choose to come with me… if you choose to refuse to give up… then today, if only for today, you will be heroes! You will be Avengers! And as long as any one of us can still breath, the very pits of hell will quake in fear and the most hardened of criminals and the most deranged of sociopaths will flee in sheer terror, when they hear our call!"_

_**AVENGERS! ASSEMBLE!**_

* * *

The old man finished his last pretzel. "That was one of the finest days of my life. I got hit early on in the fight, but Jubilee survived, and she described it to me. Spider-man managed to take out twenty of the sentinels before he ran out of web fluid. Then, with the help of Shadowcat, he managed to hack into another one and take out a good forty more before he took a bullet for Iceman. Then, with his last breath, he set the sentinel he was using on a kamikaze attack on the S.H.E.I.L.D. Helicarrier."

"Wolverine was pretty much already dead by the time he got there, but he still knew how to fight. He tore his claws out of his hands one by one, and threw them through each of the two tri-sentinel's heads. Then he managed to wrestle one of the sentinels to the ground in a beserker rage before five of them torched him at once. The Sentinel under him tried to get up, but Wolverine's adamantium jaw was still embedded in its C.P.U. There was not a rational human there who did not give him a wide berth."

"Doom's nullifier ray effected magical powers too, so Thor couldn't swing his hammer. But he was still an Asgardian, and when Nimrod started to join the fight, he charged at him head on, picking up a fallen sentinel and using it as a hammer to beat nimrod into the ground."

"Nightcrawler lead the X-men, almost as well as Cyclops would have. When the Punisher radioed for help, his gang of heroes who started without powers pinned down, he led the charge to save them, and then went into facility X with the Punisher, cutlasses swing, sacrificing themselves to blow up Master Mold and get rid of the Sentinel project forever."

"Captain America could barely lift his own shield. But he just kept walking. Just kept putting one foot in front of the other. He managed to steal a jet and fly up to the Helicarrier before Spider-man blew it up. Nobody knows what happened after that, but rumor has it that Doom was so impressed, he has a shrine dedicated to Captain America in his castle."

"Deadpool never did shut up. I was there when he died; he just kept asking for an Avengers badge. I gave him mine. And then he went into a rendition of 'badger badger badger badger mushroom mushroom' for another hour after he died. I think he might still be singing it, if we could've found his body in the aftermath of the explosion."

"After it was over, me and the survivors gathered up what we could find to remember the heroes by; scraps of cloth, Cap's shield, Spider-man's web shooters. The Sentinels were gone, but one by one we all died anyway. There are only seven of us still alive."

"Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan didn't work. There's more crime than ever without the heroes. But nobody realizes. Some sort of… psychic wave made everybody forget. There are a few people who still remember. An old buddy of mine, Stan Lee, made his living selling comic books of us so people might remember. But most of the people who make a fuss are hunted down and killed, or their memories erased."

He finished his story. The Yancy Street Gang stared at him, mouths open in astonishment.

"I feel like liquorice." Alex got up and searched the vending machine.

"Why didn't they erase Stan Lee's mind?" Oceana asked.

"Because they couldn't." The old man smiled. "Too much raw willpower to back down to any of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s psychics. Mastermind's the only one who's gone toe-to-toe with Lee's mind and not gone into a coma. He says they liked it too much in his head to leave."

"Okay, no way that really happened." Sofia shook her head. "It's too fantastic. No way could S.H.I.E.L.D. keep something that big a secret. No way could psychics even exist"

"Yeah." Steve agreed. "Did that really happen? It didn't, did it old man? I mean… you have to have some sort of proof right? Those memorials you mentioned?"

The old man leaned close. "Let me answer your question with another question." He said. "After hearing this, tall-tale or not, does it matter whether it really happened or not? Whatever you do next in your lives, however this story has effected you, does it matter whether thirty-five years ago these men and women walked the earth or whether they're just legends?"

Steve looked to his left, then to his right. Most of the gang, with the exception of Sofia, gave him a nod. "No, it doesn't." He said.

The old man smiled.

* * *

**Almost a year later…**

"No." The convenient store clerk folded his arms. "I have been robbed three times in as many months by you. I refuse to pay you any longer."

"Well that's too bad." The man covered in tattoos gestured to his goon, and overweight man wielding a chainsaw. "I guess you ain't protected from us anymore either then."

The shop clerk paled. "This never happened with the old Yancy Street Gang."

The tattooed man chuckled. "The old gang is ancient history. This is the real Yancy Street Gang."

The old man hid behind the magazine rack in the back of the store. He'd already called in the team. He set his daughter down. "You stay out of trouble, okay Suzie?"

The little girl looked up at him with her blue eyes. "'Kay daddy."

The old man walked to the front of the store. "You don't want to be doing that." He told the robbers.

"What, are you gonna stop us old man?" The tattooed man pushed him onto the floor.

The Old man got up slowly, and took off his glasses revealing the nasty burn marks around his eyes. "If I have to. But I don't think I will. I think the Avengers will stop you."

The man with the chainsaw let out a moan and backed away from the old man a bit in mock terror. The tattooed man looked at him and laughed. "The Avengers? Oooh, scary. I bet the boogey man will join them right?Are you seriously trying to scare us with comic book stories old man?"

"Yes. And I'll tell you something else… it's working."

"Shut your pie-hole man, or I'll get blob here to shut it for you."

"I can't do that. I promised a great man and a good friend something. I promised him that as long as I can still breath, the very pits of hell will quake and the most hardened of criminals and the most deranged of sociopaths will flee in terror when they hear out call. I'm going to keep my promise. Starting today."

"Well then." The tattooed man took out a gun. "It's too bad you're gonna have to stop breathing to keep that promise."

He pulled the trigger, but before the bang there was a small thwip. He yelled in pain as his gun backfired, the barrel covered in a sticky substance. The two criminals turned.

Steve stood in the doorway, holding Captain America's shield and wearing his uniform, a red eagle on his chest around a single star. Behind him, Sophia, the new Scarlet Spider, had her web shooters pointed at the two criminals. Her costume was black, and gothic, with red spider webs running up her shoulder length gloves and a scarlet spider emblazoning her halter top. Alex stood next to her, wearing Deadpool's mask and a cool looking trench coat and giggling excitedly. Ben, A.K.A. Ironclad, made an imposing figure behind them, wearing one of Iron-man's bulkier suits of armor. Oceana, the new Daredevil, twirled her billy club menacingly. Leo stood next to her, three adamantium claws attached to each glove. Cho was in the back, wearing oriental clothes speckled with stars and a moon, clutching the eye of agamotto in his hand as the new sorcerer supreme, the Sandman.

"Dude… no way." The tattooed man began to panic. "It can't be…"

"Dude… dude it's Captain America! And Wolverine! Holy #%$ we're dead!"

"Dude, say it." Deadpool said, taking Excalibur out of the golf bag on his back. "We all know you've been practicing it in the mirror. Just say it."

Captain America smiled menacingly at the two criminals.

"AVENGERS! ASSEMBLE!"


	2. Chpt 2 We Meet The LeBeau Twins

**_Capter Two; In Which We Meet The LeBeau Twins. _**

_Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'  
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.  
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,  
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep._

_**Kenny Rogers**_

**One Day Later...**

Sarah dabbed a bit more perfume around her neck. 'Springwater Lime'. Her boss hated the stuff.

She hesitated at the door, then shuddered and went inside. The office was completely smooth marble with red carpeting. A stolen Van Gogh was on the wall behind the desk, where everything was in its place. There was no sign of the Kingpin. She hurried in and placed the daily report in the 'inbox', setting it down in as perfect an alignment with the box's sides as she could. She was about to hurry out, when the other set of doors into the room opened.

"Good morning Ms. Jackson." The boss walked out of his penthouse bedroom, wearing his imported silk robe. He was an imposing figure, towering over everybody he came across. She hated seeing him early in the morning. At his best he was well groomed and gave only a slight indication of the evil underneath. When he'd just woken up, his wild unkempt hair gave him a look like a caveman, and his darting eyes screamed of wanting to start the morning with a vindictive act.

"Good morning Mr. Hyde." She said, not flinching or even giving a hint of what she was really feeling; a chilling sensation down her spine, and a resigned acceptance of whatever he was about to do.

He walked over to his coffee machine. "Nice dress." He commented, pouring extra-black into his 'Hitler was right' mug. She made a mental note never to wear the dress again. "Any bad news in the morning report?"

"No Mr. Hyde, everything's running like clockwork." She'd made sure of it. If anything was actually wrong than he was likely to take it out on the nearest person at hand.

The Kingpin nodded, pleased. "Well then, book an appointment to the club this afternoon, it feels like a golfing day. Oh, and move that meeting with the drug trafficker… oh, what was his name?"

"Savage Mr. Hyde?"

"Yes him. Move my meeting with him up to brunch, and please inform Mr. Poindexter of the schedule change. We have to keep all the cogs on time if we want our little clock to run, don't we Ms. Jackson?"

"Yes Mr. Hyde." She turned to leave, but he spilled his coffee on her. She bit back a scream as her legs burned.

"Oh, so terribly sorry Ms. Jackson." The Kingpin fussed. "You know how clumsy I am."

When Sarah finally left the Kingpin's office, she collapsed against the wall and breathed deeply, trying to hold back her tears.

"There there Ms. Jackson." The Kingpin's withered old right hand man stepped out of the shadows. "Here, I'll put a little spell on that." He pressed his hands on the stain and it disappeared. "Of course, he'll still see a stain, he'll kill you if he doesn't. But at least you won't have to go to the coffee club looking like…"

He didn't finish his sentence, as Sarah threw her arms around him. "Oh thank you Parker, thank you." She pulled him close and kissed him passionately.

Parker detached himself. "Not here Sarah."

"Right. Sorry." She flushed. "It's just… he's so horrible… a monster…"

"I know. I know." Parker hugged her gently, but warmly. "Don't worry darling… I'll keep you safe." He noticed her hugging the notepad to her chest. "Something's wrong isn't it? You have bad news for him. Tell me."

She shuddered. "Two of our collectors on Yancy Street were incapacitated. The people who attacked them told them to deliver a message to the Kingpin."

"What message my dear?"

She shivered. "That… New York is Avengers territory now and the Kingpin should get out."

The withered majordomo froze; his whole body stiffened as he realized. "Avengers…"Sarah cried out in pain as Parker grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall.

"Don't say their name!" He snarled. "They are a story! A base lie! They are comic book superheroes for geeks to squander their allowances on! They never existed! If you so much as think that name in my presence again I'll…" He stopped and realized what he was doing. He laughed softly and stroked Sarah's hair. "I'm sorry my dear. I just… I guess I've just had a bad day too. You did the right thing telling me. I can only guess what would have happened to you if you told the Kingpin." She shuddered involuntarily at the thought, and he thought once again how lucky he was that he was playing 'good cop' to Mr. Hyde. "Now, go make his day happy. I'll deal with this little problem."

She scurried away in fear. Parker Robbin's grip on his cane tightened and he pulled his tattered red hood over his head.

* * *

**Two Days Earlier...**

Jacque LeBeau Set down his cards. "Royal Flush gentlemen. I hope nobody put their life's savings into the pot." He leaned over the table and picked up the betting chips.

"I say you cheated mister." Said a Texan man to his left.

"Nobody likes a sore loser." Jacque smiled. "I'm simply very, very good at what I do. Don't take it personally. I win a lot."

A large hand shot out and grabbed Jacque by the collar and the Texan pulled him so close so their faces almost touched. Jacque could smell the whiskey on is breath. "Don't play games with me Cajun boy."

A delicate hand reached out and firmly grabbed the Texan's hand. "Ah believe the whole reason any of you gentlemen come here is to play games." Charlie LeBeau said sweetly. "Otherwise this ol' place would be out of business. Now put mah little brother down, or ah take my gloves off. And let me assure you, you don't want that."

The Texan laughed coarsely, then stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. He twitched, hesitating slightly, then he put Jacque down. She didn't stop glaring. He quickly packed up his remaining chips and left.

"I didn't need your help sis." Jacque said, taking his chips.

"Regardless, ah'm the hostess of the _Bon Chere Casino_, so it falls to me to stop any trouble-makers from making trouble, does it not?" She smiled her sweet smile. "And that includes you brother. Understand?" She took off her glove.

Jacque got up quickly. "Woah, woah, sis, keep that thing in its glove, I'm not gonna be causin' any more trouble. Thieves' honor." He crossed his heart. She smiled sweetly, put her glove back on, and left to socialize with the regulars of the most popular casino in New Orleans.

Jacque walked in the opposite direction. His older sister ran the casino since his mother died five years ago. She used to be a mutant, and a member of the X-men, but her powers hadn't worked the way she thought they did. They'd been killing her, slowly. And when she'd died all those years ago, his dad was left in a state of feverish depression.

The stories they used to tell Jacque; they used to be heroes, saving mutants from oppression. Now their children were running a casino. It was undignified. There were barely any new mutants left to protect and the oppression had long since wilted when people began to think of mutants as myths. Jacque new he shouldn't be mad at them, but he was jealous all the same.

He was about to try his luck at the slots when something small buzzed in the back of his mind. He rushed off to find his twin sister Marie. They shared a connection; Jacque could always tell when she needed him. He had a hard time explaining it to people who didn't believe in twin telepathy. It was just… Jacque's powers allowed him to manipulate electrical energy. To that end, he saw the world as nothing but a state of energy constantly flowing from one place to another. His personal bioelectricity was so similar to his sister's that sometimes their… wavelengths got crossed. If that was the right way to say it.

He found her at the lobby, talking to Hermes.

"Jacque!" She smiled, and it was much more beautiful than his other sister's smile. "Hermes here was just telling me… oh but it's such good news for you!"

Jacque and Hermes exchanged friendly smiles and high fives. They considered themselves brothers in everything but blood; when Jubilee had started looking for new mutants to protect, Jacque found Hermes and saved him from being revealed. Back then, he was just a delivery boy for a powerful company. Now he was the best courier in the world. If you want something delivered, nothing would stop Hermes from delivering it. He acted as a go-between with the new mutants and the survivors of the age of heroes.

"What's happening Hermes?" Jacque asked.

"Good news man." He said, taking an envelope out of his pocket. "You know how you've always had me checking with the old man? How you're so sure that one day he'll snap and reform the A-team?"

The smile on Jackque's team faded, replaced with a look of shock. "You're kidding me…" He grabbed the envelope out of his hands, and tore the wrapping open. A smile dance on his lips as he read the note from the old man and held the Avengers badge in his hand. He would finally get to be a hero like his old man.

"What about you?" He asked Hermes.

He shook his head. "I'm happy with my lot in life. But… look, try not to die, okay buddy?"

"No worries." Jacque said, pocketing the badge. "This is my dream. I've been planning this day since my mother told me stories about her adventures. I can be on a plane in two hours, I have more than enough money." He looked at his sister, hesitantly. "Marie?"

She bit her lip. "Well…" Jacque's face fell, then she smiled. "What could it hurt? I'll start packing."

* * *

Jacque snuck into his father's room. The scented candles were lit around the framed picture of his mother on the side table. His father was snoring in his bed, the I.V. hanging gloomily over his head. Jacque felt guilty about leaving his father in this state, but he had to follow his dream.

He crept to the closet in the corner, and felt around on top. His hand closed around the small cylinder, and he took it down. He examined it a little, then found the secret button and pressed it. The cylinder shot out, expanding into a long metal quarterstaff.

"What do you think you are doing Jacque?"

Jacque jumped out of his skin. His father was standing right behind him, using the I.V. stand as a cane.

"I was just…"

"Leaving?" Remy snapped. "What happened Remy? Have the Avengers finally formed? Has an old enemy of mine long thought dead tried to kill you again?"

Jacque hesitated, the stood up straight. "It's the Avengers."

Remy squinted behind his long matted hair, and then chuckled grimly at his son. "You don't have what it takes."

"You don't know that."

"Yes ah do. Now give me back mah stick Jacque." He moved forward, but Remy pulled away.

"No. This is my dream. I'm taking it while I have the chance."

His father's eyes darkened. "Son, ah love you. You know that." Jacque snorted. "But you ain't gonna be a hero on my watch."

"I'm sorry if ah don't feel like being a cowardly thief." Jacque retorted.

"Oh really? If ah were not a thief, then ah would never have met your mother. Ah would have gone to the final battle and watched mah friends and family die around me, waiting to be next. Ah would never have run away with your mother and raised three wonderful children. Trust me son; it is far more profitable to be a thief than a hero. Now give me back mah stick"

They stood there for a moment, then Jacque's dad withdrew his hand. In the half-second it took for him to swing his I.V. stand, Jacque spun the staff around to block it, then his dad shifted his balance and kicked him in the leg. Jacque yelled in pain, and he took the opportunity to twirl the staff out of his hand sweep him off his feet. Jacque felt the pressure on his throat the second he landed; his dad using the stand's base to pin him down.

"Son, ah love you, so here's the honest truth; if you can't beat a geezer like your ol' man, what chance do you have against Dr. Doom and his ilk?"

"I won't be holding back on them Paps." Jacque sent an electric jolt down the stand, stunning his dad. He kicked the improvised weapon away and back flipped onto the wall, curling the static electricity to make him stick to its side. He reached out and the electrons in the carpet rejected the staff, sending it flying up to him. He caught it just in time to block another swing and shot more electricity down the weapons, freezing his dad's arms. He leapt back down and swung, but his dad tumbled to the ground, swining his immobilized arms around and tripping him up again. This time, he pinned him down by stepping on both arms.

"Doom won't be holding back on you either son." He panted.

The door opened. "Jacque?" Marie stepped into the room, her face paler than usual. He saw the suitcases behind her.

"So you're going too Marie?"

She nodded mutely.

He snarled, but let his son up. "Well, if you feel that strongly about it then fine. Go. But you remember what ah said Jacque. You ain't a hero, no matter how much you wish you were. Don't be so arrogant when you're out fighting injustice, or you'll end up on your back in the mercy of somebody much more dangerous than me." He hobbled back to his bed, refusing to look the two of them in the eye.

Jacque picked up his father's staff and left. "Come on Marie."

Marie began to follow him. "Marie. Wait."

Marie turned. Her father sat up in bed and beckoned for her to sit next to him. She sighed and sat down next to him.

"Are you sure you want to leave Marie?" He asked.

She just nodded.

He sighed. "Oh Marie, you look so much like your mother did when she was your age. But she hid all of her gentleness inside a tough shell. You're the opposite. You look so fragile all the time, that ah suspect you'll be surprised at how powerful you are." He held her gloved hands. "Now listen. You know how arrogant your brother can be sometimes. Watch out for him. Ah want to see you both home safe when this turns south, and it will."

She smiled. "Maybe it won't." She took off one of her gloves and held his hand. It was a long while before she let go. "Goodbye daddy. I'll miss you, and so will he. I wouldn't worry about him; he's a hero. Just like his father. No matter how much you wish you were just a thief."

She left before he could start arguing. "Bon chance mah little angels." He whispered, before going back to sleep.

* * *

**Two days later...**

Steve Redwing, the new Captain America, threw his predecessor's shield. It bounced off of four of the five goons, and he quickly snatched it out of the air and used it to block the fire coming from the fifth guy. He charged behind his shield, knocking him down.

"Yay!" Baby Susan squealed. "You knocked dem all down!"

"Good work Steve." The old man said into the speakers from outside the Danger room.

"I missed one." Steve said. "I knocked the fifth down in a tackle."

"Still not too shabby. You have no idea how many people have tried – and failed – to swing that shield. Now come on out, there's somebody here I'd like you to meet."

Steve took off his mask and wiped his forehead. 'Good work' wasn't good enough. He needed to be perfect if he could ever live up to Captain America's standard. Steve had always been an A student in school, football, and everything else he tried. If something was worth doing, he thought it was something worth doing right. Maybe he could recalibrate the magnets he used to get the shield back in his hand? Oh well, he didn't have time to practice any more. He had to go meet this guest. The idea intrigued him. The old man had never brought anybody else into their headquarters, a secret bunker built by Tony Stark underneath the Grimm Youth Center.

He came out and saw two people, both very well dressed carrying suitcases in. The man was an albino, with wild hair and mismatched eyes. The girl looked a lot like him, except she was a brunette with only a streak of white running through her hair.

The old man gestured to them. "Steve, these are the LeBeau twins. Gambit and Rogue's kids."

"This is the new Captain America?" Jacque asked the old man. "What powers does he have?"

Steve was taken aback. "I'm standing right here." He said. "And why would you just assume I have powers?"

Jacque raised an eyebrow. "You… you don't… have powers?"

"Just the shield."

"Oh." Jacque looked disappointed. "Well, I can manipulate electricity in any form, and my sister is telekinetic and kinesthetic."

Steve raised an eyebrow, but no answer was coming. "Translation?" He asked the old man.

"She can move things with her mind, and tell a lot about something by touching it." He explained.

"Wait… you didn't know what I meant?"Jacque asked. "So… why are you the leader of the group?"

"Because I said so." The old man answered quickly. "Now, Susan will show you both your room."

"It's this way!" She shrieked, pointing. "Come on! Come on! This waaaaayyyyy!"

When they left, Steve approached the old man. "Why _am_ I the leader?" He asked.

The old man shrugged. "Being a leader isn't something you can just turn on or off. You've been this team's leader since before I got here, and from what I've seen you're a good one. It was your idea to help people in the first place, remember?"

He left to help the twins. Steve sighed and went back into the Danger Room to practice. He did remember.

* * *

_**One Year Ago…**_

_Ben and Cho were walking down an alleyway with their girls. They'd just gone to see the newest Batman movie and were taking a shortcut home. "Come on guys!" Ben whined. "That bit where Spellbinder turned out to be behind the whole thing? That wasn't a twist! It's like they changed it at the last second! It makes no sense!"_

"_Yes, because Hollywood gets its reputation by hiring Shakespeare." Cho remarked. "At least the fight scenes were good."_

"_That bit where Terry had to fight off Mad Stan while changing into his Batman suit? No way. It made no sense."_

"_It's a fight scene, it's not supposed to make sense, it just has to be fast-paced and filled with explosives, and the audience will eat it all up."_

_Cho's date yawned. She was only there because her sister had insisted on a double date. She really preferred horror movies to those trashy movies about superheroes, but her sister had begged. Cho was some sort of freak genius who helped Ben with his homework. _

_Suddenly, seven young men stepped out of the shadows. Each one had a baseball bat in his hand and a handkerchief over their faces. "Excuse me you three, but if you could just hand us the little thief over there, we'll be on our way."_

_Cho paled as his date hurriedly let go of his arm and backed off. "What did you do Cho?" Ben asked, gesturing for his own date to stand back._

"_I… I may have calculated the percentage of certain horses winning certain races. And my last calculation… may have been a bit off."_

"_Fantastic." Ben muttered under his breath. "Ladies? On my mark, get out of here and don't look back." _

"_What?" _

"_Run!" Ben charged into the two nearest guys, tackling them into the ground. Their dates ran off and Cho quickly tried to remember his karate lessons. Then his self-preservation instinct kicked in. "Help! Help!" He yelled, dodging away from the others rushing towards him. Nobody came._

_Thinking quickly, Cho kicked out, down on one of his pursuer's knees. He yelled in pain, then got bowled over by one of his friends flying through the air. Ben watched his throw fly true, then took another man from under his armpit and shoved his face into the side of a dumpster. He was on the football team and the boxing team. In all of two seconds the man was down. Then he felt a sharp sting as a baseball bat connected with the back of his neck. He winced, and tried to get up, but the thug swinging it behind him wouldn't let up._

"_Stay down man!" He yelled between blows. "Don't be stupid now, we just want the little thief."_

_The second thug chasing after Cho blocked a flurry of karate chops and tackled him to the ground. "Help!" He yelled, but the thug on top of him slammed his fist into his face, spilling his blood over the pavement._

_Ben held his hand in front of his face, ignoring the pain. "Seven on two? Cowards. I hate unfair fights." He grunted, and he shot out a fist. The thug knocked it away and hit him in the gut, making him double thug behind him kicked him from behind, forcing him against the brick wall. _

_"Too stupid to quit." The thug with the bat sneered, raising the bat for the last blow. Then somebody else entered the alley._

"_Feel the wrath of Excalibur mortals!"_

"_What the –" the thug only had time to widen his eyes and turn before somebody with wild hair and a baseball bat rammed into him._

_Shots ran out, and the two thugs that were still conscious ran out of the alley._

"_Yeah, you better un!" A Goth girl yelled, waving the smoking pistol. "This is Yancy Street! Our turf! Tell your friends! You want these two you'll have to go through us!"_

_Ben looked up at his saviors. Another girl was with Cho, helping him to his feet._

"_Hey, thanks guys." He said._

"_Not a problem." The leader of the gang stepped up. "I'm Steve, and this is the Yancy Street Gang. Nobody brutalizes innocents while I'm here."_

"_Yeah, or steals candy from babies. Usually." The wild looking one with the bat slowly reached into his coat and put a lollipop in his mouth, with a too-innocent expression on his face._

"_Er… What's with him?" Ben asked, afraid of offending his rescuers but even more afraid of the guy with the bat._

"_Oh, Alex?" Steve asked. "Just a little emotionally deficient. Don't worry, I've known him since kindergarten. He's harmless. Unless you give him a bat and point him at people doing bad things."_

"_Oh yes." Alex said, hugging his bat. "Did we pwn those noobs Excalibur? Yes we did! Yes we did!" _

_The girl who was helping Cho walked up to him and looked at his bruises. "He looks pretty bad." She said. "We should take him to see a doctor."_

"_Right. And how exactly would we explain those bruises to a doctor?" The Goth girl asked. "We just tell them he was involved in a mugging and I scared away the guys with my unlicensed firearm?"_

"_Actually, he made a bad calculation with his betting formula."Ben admitted._

"_Even better!"_

"_What are you doing with an unlicensed firearm anyway?" The other girl asked, warily._

"_We could bribe the doctors!" Alex said. "I have more lollipops. Quick, who has the highest charisma score?"_

_Steve looked thoughtful. "Say, Oceana." He said. "Didn't you say your new boyfriend was a nurse?"_

* * *

**One Year Later...**

"And that was when my life started to go down the tubes." Leo said. "Well, I guess I can't complain. I mean, I'm in love. How often does that happen, right? And at least I'm not in your shoes." He patted the arm of a comatose patient he was tending to. "Sorry about the tubes comment earlier. No pun intended."

The door to the room opened and Dr. Hamilton looked in on Leo. "Well well, nurse Robinson." He said. "I never expected to see you back here. When you went away so suddenly, there were rumors of gang involvement."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not dead." Leo smiled, looking up.

"Where were you then?"

Leo thought about the lethal weapons he had concealed in his locker; two gloves, three adamantium claws attached to each, retractable so as to hide behind the striped jacket that was a part of his costume. Possibly the most lethal weapons on the planet. All part of his new life as Wolverine. His new life where he completely abandoned his Hippocratic Oath and went through seven months of intense training, all to impress the woman of his dreams.

"I was on vacation. It's done wonders for me."

And the whole secret identity thing. He couldn't leave lying to his best friends and mentors off his list of how bad his life's gotten. Nope.


	3. Chpt 3 The Hobgoblin Strikes

**Chapter Three; In Which The Hobgoblin Strikes**

_You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival._

_**Winston Churchill**_

**Later that Day...**

Steve and Leo walked down Yancy street together. "The old man never said anything about other people out there with powers." Leo said in annoyance. "Why didn't he just make a new team with them? If they've been waiting their whole lives to fill their parent's shoes, why did he wait until we came around?"

"Well, if you met them, I think you'd know." Steve said. "Marie is fine, but Jacque acts so superior all the time. Just because he has powers."

"Well doesn't that make him superior?" Leo asked. "I mean, we've only had seven months of training. They can probably throw down better than us."

Steve thought for a while. "It's not about fighting. I think." He said. "I mean, we're going to have to fight a lot, but remember what the old man said. We need to be able to inspire people if we really want to bring heroism back."

"And to that end, we have saved a small convenience store from a pair of lame muggers." Leo said. "Oh yeah, we've been doing a great job acting like heroes. How much media coverage do you think that's going to get?"

Steve sighed. "Baby steps Leo, baby steps."

Leo shook his head. "You just keep telling yourself that Steve. I just don't know. It feels like we're trying to do something impossible. All that training, all those exercises, and now suddenly we have a guy who can control electrical fields and a psychic girl. Compared to Cho's magic, Ironclad's armor, and your unbreakable shield. I should probably be grateful, but I just can't get around the feeling like I'm useless here."

"You're not." Steve said firmly. "You're a valued member of the team, and our physician."

Leo held his arm up. "I have Wolverine's claws man. Wolverine's claws. Here I am, a nurse, and I'm carrying the deadliest weapons in the universe on my arms. You're telling me it's not a waste? Why didn't Sofia get these? I could have been Spider-man."

"Because Sofia might be tempted to use them." Steve said. "Like you said, you're the last person to use the deadliest weapons in the world. So, you're carrying them."

They continued in silence. They were walking towards the store they'd saved yesterday. "Do you think the guy even told anybody?" Leo asked. "Maybe he thought he was dreaming."

"That's good. It means he won't recognize us." Steve said. "But personally, I think he'll –" He stopped as Leo stuck a hand out in front of him.

"Something's wrong." He said.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked. The place looked fine to him.

"It's closed." Leo said. "It's never closed this early before." He was right. The sign in the window clearly read; Closed Come Back Later.

"I think that's a bit paranoid to assume something's wrong because of a sign." Steve said warily.

"Well since I'm stuck with the weapons I won't use, I guess my pessimism is going to have to be my superpower isn't it?" Leo walked up to the store carefully, Steve behind him. He looked in through the window, hiding behind the posters and signs hanging up in it. What they saw chilled their blood.

The clerk was being pulled over the counter by something from the pits of Mordor. The large man wore a suit of black armor, medieval looking and studded with small spikes along the plates. The armor could have been made out of dragon scales for all the two of them knew, but the attachments were modern. The gloves he wore had buttons running up their sides, and his belts had several futuristic looking devises on them. Most notably; several small bombs that the Old Man showed them back at H.Q. Pumpkin bombs. The man's tattered orange cloak swirled dramatically as he lifted the clerk off the floor, and they saw just a hint of his face before the fell back around the corner. An old yellow face, scarred like it was dipped in acid and rough as leather. Two beady red eyes glowed and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards into a wicked smile.

Steve and Leo pulled back around the corner. "That's the Hobgoblin." Steve said. He'd memorized every case file the old man could drag up, and read every comic book Daredevil could supply. "He was tough enough to fight Spider-man in his prime."

Leo nodded. "Well, It's a good thing I know first aid." He zipped open his duffle bag and began to take out his costume. He was terrified, but he was a nurse. He dealt with emergencies quickly and precisely.

Steve shook his head. "We can't go in there. He'll slaughter us."

Leo snapped his belt on. "Steve, snap out of it. You were the one who got us into this superhero thing. You convinced the old man to give us a chance. Here it is. When there's a life on the line, you don't have time to think, you don't have time to be scared. We might not be able to stop whatever he's doing, but we can try. Now make the call."

Steve kept shaking his head. "No. He'll kill us. I'm not ready. I'm –" Leo backhanded him in the face. With his claw harness, it hurt a lot.

"Stop it Steve. You're not ready. Neither am I. But put aside your bloody perfectionism and think. If you weren't trying to be Captain America, what would you do? What would you have done if this happened a year ago, when you didn't have your shield or your training, and just your guts? You would have gone in, despite the danger, and saved him. And you didn't need to be bloody Captain America to do it. Now make the call, and let's give this guy a Yancy Street welcome."

Steve nodded, and took off his overcoat. He unslung his shield, put on his mask, and took the communicator out of his belt.

"Avengers! Assemble!"

* * *

Cho was sitting in his physics class when his Avengers communicator vibrated in his pocket. He quickly excused himself to the bathroom. Ben met him in front, and Cho teleported them away.

* * *

Jacque placed his cards down triumphantly. "Beat that!"

Sofia grinned and put her hand down. "Royal Flush."

"What!" Jacque yelled indignantly. "That's impossible! You must have cheated!"

"Of course I did." She smirked. "Too bad you didn't catch me, or you might have won."

"Buuuuurrrned!" Alex yelled, watching the game while he was feeding baby Suzie. She giggled and clapped. "Yeah, you think that's funny widdle Suzie? Just you keep watching. He's going to challenge her for a rematch for a third time and get owned again."

The old man came through the door with a communicator in his hands. "Avengers! Assemble!"

* * *

The Hobgoblin swung his fist down and broke a video cassette over the clerk's head. "The tapes are missing! Who did you tell!" He snarled, baring his grotesque teeth.

"I - I didn't tell anybody." The man managed to mutter through his mouth full of blood and teeth. "I… don't even know what you're talking about."

The Hobgoblin drew a wicked cutlass out of his belt. "I will kill you and not lose a moment's sleep about it. I have done it in the past to much more dangerous people; you're nothing but a man behind a counter. I know that some costumed punks came here and beat the snot out of the people who robbed you. I know there should be a recording from that camera over there, but there isn't. You told somebody. The only question I have is, are you going to tell me who before or after I perform an impromptu kidney removal."

The frightened clerk ran through his options. After he'd gone home yesterday he went on the internet and looked through anything available on the Avengers. He'd even went out to the comic book store and bought a few issues recommended to him by the shopkeeper. They were actually pretty good. And now somebody dressed as a Goblin was threatening him because he'd seen the Avengers.

He could just tell him where the cassette was, but then he might kill him anyway. So, he could die knowing he'd sent somebody else to the grave, or he could die spitting in his killers face. He'd take the second option. Yeah, he was going to die either way, but Captain America saved him once, and even if it wasn't the real Captain America, he owed it to the man to make sure he didn't take anybody with him.

He spat in the Hobgoblin's face.

The Hobgoblin glowered, then sliced at him with his cutlass. Much to the clerk's surprise, it didn't go through the heart, it went through his pocket. He collapsed on the ground and the Hobgoblin plucked his wallet off the end of his sword.

"So… Robert, is it? Robert Johnson?" He asked, looking through the wallet. "I guess you've figured out you're going to die anyway. A pity. I love the look on a man's face when he realizes I broke a life and death promise." He drove his blade down through the clerk's knee, amputating it. "I guess now, it's only a matter of defiance. A matter of knowing you didn't let me kill anybody else." He leaned in leering at the quivering mess on the floor. "Is that it Bobby? Did I hit the nail on the head? Did seeing Captain America inspire you to try and be more than the sniveling heap of wasted flesh that you are?"

He sliced of Bobby's other leg, and waited patiently for him to stop screaming. "Well now Bob, I really think you picked a bad role model. The real Captain America's been gone for a while now. Dead as a rock. The one you saw was just some goody-two shoes trying to be an urban legend. So, I'm going to send you to that big place in the sky, where wanna-be heroes like you join all the others. But first, a question…"

Hobgoblin slapped at Robert's face to stop him from passing out from blood loss. "Should I kill the person you gave that cassette to, or should I hunt down and kill your family?" He smiled at the look of shock on Robert's face. "Oh yeah. You try to be a hero, eventually somebody's gonna offer you a sadistic choice. It's the rules. So in your short career of trying to be one of the good guys, I figure I should try and help you along that path, and give you a little sadistic choice of my own." He broke into a small fit of giggle.

"It's okay." He said, calming back down. "You don't have to tell me. I think I deserve a vacation anyway. I'll take your family to the beach. It should be a blast."

"…Gwen Urich."

"What was that?" Hobgoblin leaned in.

"…I gave the tapes… to Gwen Urich… at the Bugle…"

Hobgoblin chuckled. "Well, I thought we missed a Urich somewhere. All those government assassins, not enough detectives. And she's working for the Bugle?" His chuckle turned into a full blown cackle. "Well, thanks Bobby. It's been great. I'll try not to have too much fun with your mother before I slit her throat."

"What? I…"

"Hahahaha! Oh, I just can't get enough of that look!" Hobgoblin chuckled. "It's just… oh boy, that dawning moment of comprehension always makes my job worthwhile." He raised his cutlass with a flourish…

And the store window exploded.

Hobgoblin pulled his arm back just in time not to get hit by the red white and blue shield. It knocked his cutlass away though, and bounced off the far wall and back into the hands of the man who threw it.

"Hobgoblin! Pick on somebody your own size!"

Hobgoblin took a step back and studied the two heroes. "Well well… the new Captain A. The wings look goofy… but I like the sleeveless look, and I can see why you've gone with the domino mask. Chicks must dig the hair right? Not too shabby, but still you shouldn't mess with the classics. And you… I'm sorry, he has the star on his chest, I just have no idea who you're trying to be." Leo extended his claws. "Ah, Wolverine, eh? Well, nice jacket but I'm afraid that's where it ends. That mask just doesn't cut it for me; it takes away any sense of dread from your dreadlocks."

Captain America charged. Hobgoblin dove backwards, quickly cartwheeling through the store and grabbing his cutlass. He landed with his sword arm towards the Captain, and as Cap swung his shield at him Hobgoblin sliced it out of the air with a flick of his wrist, sending it off at an angle to the back of the store. He then pulled him back like a matador and a bull, before swinging his leg in a roundhouse kick and knocking him into the slushy machine. He turned to face Wolverine but…

"You're kidding me!"

Wolverine was bent over Robert's legs, elevating him and wrapping the stumps in bandages.

"Uh… He's… he's kind of not going to make it Mr. Wolverine."

"Not on my watch."

"Uh… huh. So, what, you aren't going to fight me or anything? Because you know, the real Wolverine… he would be tearing my guts out by now."

"No, I'm not really a fighter type of guy. I'll leave that to Cap." He said, slicing open two bags of ice with his claws.

Hobgoblin twitched, then doubled over with laughter. "Oh, oh that's rich! Wolverine… is 'not really a fighter type of' –" Captain America came up behind the Hobgoblin and plowed into the back of his neck with his shield.

He picked him up, and threw him out of the broken window. "I could definitely use a hand!" He said to Wolverine as he dove out after him.

"In a minute!" Cap heard him call out as he followed Hobgoblin out of the window. The Goblin was up, and swinging his blade. Cap almost didn't put his shield up in time, as the cutlass flew through the air from what seemed like five different directions. Sparks flew as the metals clashed and Cap was slowly forced back.

"Amazing." Goblin said, not even breathing hard. "Even after all of these years, it's still as sturdy as ever." He leaped in the air and landed a solid kick on the shield, sending Cap flying back through the window. "But that shield's only worth as much as the arm behind it kid."

"We need to get him to a hospital." Wolverine said, holding Robert.

Cap picked himself up ignoring the glass cuts on his arms. Then he heard the quiet thud of a pumpkin bomb lading between his legs. "Look out!" He yelled, throwing himself in front of Wolverine and Robert. The little bomb's explosion rocked the store, and the place collapsed around them.

Goblin surveyed the damage. "Truly shocking what passes for a superhero these days." He shook his head. He pressed one of the buttons on his arm and his glider flew down. "Well Ms. Urich, ready or not here I come!" He flew away with a cackle, leaving only the ruined store and a thin trail of smoke in his wake.

The Hobgoblin flew through the air over New York, all but invisible to the crowd below him thanks to his stealth gear. The Bugle had been making newspapers since as long as anybody remembered. Now, they had their own news channel too. As he flew, the Hobgoblin accessed the employment files… Ah, Gwen Urich. Started working as an intern one month ago. Eighth floor, west side. Well, one well placed missile should kill her, and make it look like she wasn't the target. More work for S.H.I.E.L.D. to do, finding the terrorist. Maybe Doom could start up a good war.

* * *

A red sandy mist swirled over the rubble of the convenience store, dissipating to reveal the Avengers.

"Talk to me what's happening." The old man asked through the communicators in their headsets.

"We're at the store we saved yesterday." Cho replied. "It has been reduced to rubble."

"Start digging. Does anybody know where Captain America and Wolverine are?"

Of all of the suits in Stark's safe house, the one Ben was the best at using was the Ironclad Mach III. It was designed to operate in the earth's core, or for fighting off the Mole Man. It was made out of adamantium, vibranium, and carbonadium, along with radiation and heat shielding. It sported plasma drills in each massive fist and rocket propelled boots. It had a state of the art scanning system, which would have been used to find any life forms hidden at the earth's core. Ironclad began using them now.

"I see three people, right under Cho."

"You call him 'Sandman' when he's in uniform Ironclad. Now get those people free."

Ironclad stomped over and fired up his plasma drill. It whirred like a chainsaw and cut a hole in the ground, which he lifted up with his other hand. Wolverine and the clerk were at the bottom, and Captain America stood over them, keeping the rubble from collapsing with his shield. "Sandman, I need you to teleport this man to a hospital." He said, climbing out of the rubble and dragging Johnson behind him.

"Wow, what happened to you guys?" Deadpool asked as Daredevil and the Sandman climbed down.

"Are you okay?" Daredevil asked Wolverine.

"I'm fine." He said. "But this man needs to get to a hospital Sandman."

"I'm on it." The Sandman moved to grab Robert, but then Robert reached out to stop him.

"Wait." He whispered. "That man… he wanted the tapes… the… the… security footage… of you guys… yesterday… you saved me… I told… I told… Gwen… at the Bugle… she… she believed… she took the tape… I told… I had to… he would have killed… killed my family… he's… he's going to… save her… please save her…"

"We'll save her, you have my word." Captain America nodded at the Sandman. "Get him to a hospital."

A red mist spread over the two of them, and the Sandman and Robert disappeared. "All right Avengers. We have a situation. A supervillain known as the Hobgoblin is alive and out to kill us. Not just that, but to make the world forget we exist. He's going after somebody named Gwen at the Bugle, so let's go stop him. And while we're there, let's show the world that we're superheroes."

* * *

Gwen Urich stared down her boss angrily. "Damn it Spector, this is a story!"

The bald man shook his head. "No Ms. Urich, it isn't. Especially in the hands of an intern. I know your grandfather was one of the Bugle's best reporters, but times are changing. I can't and I won't get you in the big leagues with some hoax story."

"This isn't about my grandfather, and this isn't about a hoax." She said.

Greg Spector stood up. "Alright, you're new here so let me illustrate how this goes; either it was a group of people in costumes deciding to fight crime, or it's a group of kids trying to get some publicity. We can either give them that publicity and be made a laughing stock of, or we can publish this thing without any proof at all. We will do neither. Now get out of my office and go do your job. I.E., get me a coffee."

Gwen turned and left bitterly. She went two floors down to her office to the tiny cubicle she worked from. It was covered with newspaper clippings with several paragraphs underlined and circled. They were all printed by her grandfather when he was at the Bugle. When she looked him up online, he had the record for most article printed, but during the little time she worked in the Bugle, she'd only found little over two hundred of his stories in the Bugle archives. And she couldn't find his Pulitzer winning story at all, much less anybody who even remembered the story.

According to the plaque, the title of the story was simply; **The Avengers Assemble Again!**

She'd gone to the Pulitzer bureau, and confirmed that the plaque was genuine, but when they looked into their records they couldn't find any record of having given her grandfather a plaque at all. When Gwen was going through the archives, she'd found several stories that happened during her grandfather's time that looked… tacked on. They just didn't seem to fit in with the other stories. When she took them to a writing analyst, he confirmed that a good portion of her father's work was written by a different person.

She was convinced that somebody was trying to cover up something. Something that her grandfather knew about, and wrote about. It was the reason her mother insisted that the family keep a low profile, and begged her not to go to the Bugle. She'd searched for weeks, looking for some sort of… secret message. Maybe she was being paranoid, maybe she was grasping at straws. But there was a mystery here, and she had to find it if nobody else would even look.

Some of her co-workers rushed past her cubicle, carrying cameras and whispering excitedly. Almost instantly, she'd picked up her kit and was out the door, wondering what the story was. Most of the people were gathered around the window. What she saw when she looked out made her freeze in terror.

Hovering outside of the Bugle was a man dressed like a goblin, standing on what looked like a giant mechanical bat. He looked at her with glowing red eyes. It wasn't her imagination. He actually looked right at her. Then, he waved. Jauntily, in fact. The wheels in Gwen's mind clicked, and she suddenly realized why her parents wanted the family to hide. She began backing towards the door as the man pressed a button on his gloves.

A rocket detached from the underside of the glider and streaked towards the window. Gwen ducked as it soared over her head, crashing through the door with a thud.

Hobgoblin turned in the air and his eyes narrowed. "Spider…"

Scarlet Spider swung through the city at him, carrying Chance in her other hand. She threw him away and he used static force to run across the side of the Bugle. Hobgoblin ducked effortlessly as Scarlet Spider swung through the space in the air he used to occupy, but Chance launched himself through the air swinging his quarterstaff around, charging it with electricity. He landed in front of Hobgoblin, and brought his quarterstaff around, choking him. He locked up the electricity inside the Hobgoblin's body, freezing him up like a taser shock.

"According to the Captain, you only fought Spider-man." He grinned. "You are no match for the Avengers."

Suddenly, the glider began to spin out of control wildly. "You won't lose me that easily." Chanceboasted. Then he looked behind him, and his eyes widened in panic as the glider rammed through the building.

"Everybody out!" Gwen yelled. She began pushing her co-workers out the exit as glass shards flew around them and Chance fell backwards onto the floor.

"Idiot." Hobgoblin said, stepping off his glider and in front of his prone form. "Spider-man was more powerful than any Avenger, and I've been fighting him since before you were born. I cannot express in words my distaste for your charade of bravado."

Chance swung his quarterstaff but Hobgoblin knocked it aside with his cutlass. "Still, at least you have powers. Electricity control, am I right? I've seen it before. That explains why my missile didn't go off. Oh, don't worry though." He grinned and looked at Gwen, winking. "I'll still get around to killing you." She froze with sheer terror.

"Not likely!" Scarlet Spider swung through the window, almost managing to land a kick on Hobgoblin. He spun around in the instant she yelled, and deftly caught her leg, throwing her away.

"And you!" He glared at her as she got up. "How dare you? How dare you take up the symbol of the spider? His symbol? I am going to enjoy killing you."

A foot shot out. He dodged, and swung his cutlass narrowly missing her. She kicked again, and he blocked with ease. Gwen watched in amazement as Scarlet Spider hit and kicked and fought with all the force of a Bruce Lee film, while Hobgoblin blocked and dodged and toyed with her, almost showing off how much he wasn't working hard. She quickly came to her senses and crept forward, grabbing Chance by the collar of his coat and dragging him towards the door.

"Well, you fight well, I'll give you that. I… recognize that style too… are you in any kung-fu movies I've seen? Ah, it'll probably come to me about an hour after I kill you, and then I'll kill myself about not getting your autograph before I strangled you like a stray cat." He twisted his blade, knocking away her punches and his arm shot out, grabbing her by the throat. "Oh, but thank you for trying. It makes it that much more special. I mean, Spider-man was a hero. You? You didn't even crack one joke while we fought. How dare you wear that Spider on your chest, he was better than you in every way."

"I… can think of one way… I'm better…"

"Oh do tell me." The Hobgoblin snarled, tightening his grip. "Do tell me what pitiful excuse you have, for thinking you're better than him."

Through her mask, she managed to rasp out two words; "Got… Glocks…"

With a bang, she shot out Hobgoblin's right knee. He howled and dropped her, and she kicked him in the face, knocking him away. He spun and collapsed on the floor. He grunted, and looked up, noticing Gwen dragging Chance away. "Oh no you don't." He growled, pressing a few buttons on his suit's arm. His glider flew around and set itself firmly in front of the exit, blades extended menacingly. "I gotta say…" He said, spinning around and slicing through an incoming strand of webbing. "That this has been interesting." He caught the next thread, and yanked her closer with it, socking her in the jaw. "When the Kingpin called me out of retirement, I knew something was up. He's so cautious. He never plays an ace when a two will work just as well. And now, I get to kill some pretender in a Spider-man costume." He knocked her guns out of her hands and held her up, about to ram his blade through her. "Delicious."

A slight whirring sound of metal slicing through air, and Captain America's shield struck his head from behind. Hobgoblin spun around, as the Avengers walked through the doorway.

He laughed. "Well, look who's back. Usually I pride myself on my ability to kill people. And look, it's little pacifist Wolverine. You might want to check on your friend, she's lost a bit of blood." He tossed Scarlet Spider forward. "And who are these two ladies? Is that one supposed to be dressed as Daredevil?"

"Chance!" Angel yelled, kneeling next to her brother.

"Well, I can see the Avengers are shaping up exactly as I expected." He smirked. "You have a guy who won't fight, a girl who's too violent, a Captain America who is, quite frankly, unimpressive, and now you have the designated drama queen."

Angel glared at him and clenched her fist. His costume constricted around his neck, choking him.

"Gaargh!" He moaned, reaching into his uniform and drawing out a ghost bomb.

The room filled with smoke. "You know, you should learn to make your hand gestures a bit less obvious." The Hobgoblin's voice whispered through the fog. "otherwise, the villain might figure out your powers are sight based."

"Angel made fanning movements, blowing away the smoke, but the room wasn't clearing fast enough.

"Who are you?" Cap asked Gwen.

"My name's Gwen Urich." She muttered, in shock.

Cap's eyes widened visibly. "We have to get you out of –" He stopped and quickly brought his shield up as three whirling blades shot out of the smoke screen. The clanged against his shield, inches away from Gwen's face.

"You can't protect her you know." The Goblin's voice chuckled. "You can't even protect yourselves."

He swooped out of the mist, two fingers reaching out pressing a nerve cluster at the base of Angel's neck. She crumpled to the floor and Cap charged ahead. "Wolverine, get Gwen out of here!" He yelled, fighting the Hobgoblin alongside Daredevil and Scarlet Spider.

Wolverine took her arm and the two of them rushed down the corridor out of the room. News agents on either side whispered as they ran down. "At least we'll get some publicity." Wolverine muttered.

The stopped at the elevators. "What is going on?" Gwen asked, shaking her arm out of his grip.

"I'm sorry, I know this is hard to understand." Wolverine said. "Yesterday, you interviewed a store clerk about an attempted robbery, foiled by a group called the Avengers."

"That was you?" She asked.

"yes." He nodded. "But S.H.I.E.L.D. is being run by a supervillain who killed almost all of the heroes years ago, and doesn't want us back. He's killing everybody who knows anything about us, which includes you now."

She couldn't say anything. She was had to force herself to think happy thoughts, or risk going into shock.

Wolverine pushed her to the side and three whirling blades embedded themselves in the wall behind them. Down the corridor, Hobgoblin had managed to break free of the Avengers, but Cap was coming up behind him. Wolverine and Gwen ducked out of the way, and ran down the stairs foregoing the elevator.

"So, aren't there supposed to be more of you?" She asked, trying to distract herself. "Somebody dressed in armor… and…"

"Ironclad can't come in." Wolverine said. "He's too big and too heavy, so he's waiting outside ready start firing at him if he comes out on his glider. The Wizard is taking the store clerk, Rob Johnson, to the hospital. The Hobgoblin amputated his legs below the knees." Gwen gasped. "And who knows where Deadpool is. I thought he was right behind us."

A pumpkin bomb bounced off the walls, clanking down the stairs. "Look out!" Wolverine pressed Gwen against the wall, covering her. The explosion raked across his back, taking out the stairs below them. "Are you all right?" he grunted. She nodded. "Come on." He led here through the doorway above them.

"So… why go to all this trouble just to protect me?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, don't worry about this." Wolverine gestured to his back. "It's just some blunt trauma. My jacket protected me from any shrapnel or burning. I don't thing I even broke any ribs."

"No, but… why are you getting me away when you should be fighting him?"

"Would you rather we didn't save you?" Wolverine asked. "As for me, I took a Hippocratic oath. If I can do anything to protect anybody, I will, but violence is low on my list. It's why we became Avengers, to protect people. And if it comes down to fighting him and saving you, saving you will win every time."

The roof exploded in front of them, and the Hobgoblin descended from the hole on his glider. "You can run all you want, but you'll just die tired." He said with a wicked smile. A blade came out of his glider's mouth, and he flew forward intent on impaling them…

And flew straight through them.

"What?" He turned around, growling. Gwen's eyes were wide and panicked, but Wolverine just smiled and put his index finger and thumb to his forehead in the shape of an L.

"You're on the wrong floor." The Sandman said, coming up behind him. "Those are just illusions." He waved his hand and the images blew away like grains of sand in the wind.

"Are you an illusion too boy?" The Hobgoblin asked.

"Maybe." He said. "Either way, my friends are out of harms way, as is ."

The Hobgoblin flew up to him, grabbing his neck and pressing him against the wall. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

The Wizard reached up, loosening the Hobgoblin's grip. "I'm an A plus student Hobgoblin." He said. "And I know exactly which laws of physics to break over your head."

The hand he'd grabbed burst into flame, and the Hobgoblin recoiled in pain. Wizard dropped to the floor and kicked him hard in the knee. With a crack, the leg Scarlet had shot was suddenly bent the wrong way. The Hobgoblin screamed and lashed out, but the Wizard ducked out of the way.

"I'll get you!" the Hobgoblin yelled, quickly limping onto his glider. "I'll get you all! You, Captain America, and that damn Spider-girl! When I'm though with you, you'll be begging for me to kill you!" He flew out the window, crashing through the glass then turning around for a parting shot. "You think you're powerful!" He yelled, raising a pumpkin bomb with his burning fist. "You think you're smart! But I've fought the real Avengers! You kids don't stand a rat's chance in a cat –" He didn't get a chance to finish his threat, when a bowling ball crashed down on his head.

Deadpool smirked from the roof. "See?" He said to the pigeons. "I told you it was a good idea to lug that thing up forty-something stories."

The Hobgoblin spun lazily in the air, dazed. He dropped the pumpkin bomb and collapsed onto his glider. The biosensors in his suit picked up his unconsciousness, and quickly programmed the flight computer on the glider to fly home.

Ironclad watched from the ground. "He's flying away." He told the old man. "He looks pretty beaten up… and he kind of looks like he's on fire."

"Excellent." The old man turned on his communicator to talk to the others. "Score one for the Avengers guys. Well done. Now let's get out of here with Ms. Urich before S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives."

* * *

As Deadpool left the roof, a figure emerged from the shadows and watched him leave. A crooked old man leaning on his cane, dressed in a fine Italian suit and a tattered red cloak.

He smiled. "Gotcha."


	4. Chpt 4 The Sandman Meets The Gods

**Chapter Four; In Which The Sandman Meets The Gods**

_What I have done up to this is nothing. I am only at the beginning of the course I must run._

_**Napoleon Bonaparte**_

"I want to know what is going on here!" Spector yelled.

"Calm down sir." Special agent Toynbee of S.H.I.E.L.D. pushed him into an empty room.

"Alright sir, here's the deal. Superheroes are an international secret, but a whole team of them just busted up your office building. So now we've got to deal with this in an orderly fashion in order to keep the secret away from the people of the world."

"Are you kidding me?" Spector yelled. "This is a news station! We have the freedom of the press!"

"I hate idealists." Toynbee sighed. "Look sir, do you know what this is?"

Spector looked at it. "It looks like one of those mind-erasing pens the Men in Black use –" there was a flash of red and suddenly Spector froze in his place.

"Damn right." Agent Toynbee said. "Now, these were just actors performing a scene from an upcoming movie. You authorized this, and they rearranged your office building accordingly for the shoot. Your offices will be back to normal by tomorrow."

Agent Toynbee walked out of the room. On his way down stairs he saw other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents taking other news workers into closed rooms. He walked past unnoticed and uninterested. He'd seen this thing several times before with the X-men. These new superheroes… they were getting out of control and fast. He wished Mastermind weren't on hospital leave. The mind-pens were so distasteful.

Outside, a small crowd had gathered. Agent Toynbee ignored them, activating the invisibility program on his suit and went straight to the back of a news van parked across the street. He opened the back door, getting in with a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents looking though several cameras. They were working on the phones, coordinating memory wipes, tracking the crowd, all the boring stuff he avoided as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s chief enforcer.

There, standing regally behind them and watching the monitors, stood his number one. Doctor Victor Von Doom, the sovereign ruler of Latvertia, and now S.H.I.E.L.D.'s commander in chief. When Doom took control all those years ago he'd been rescued from obscurity as Magneto's flunky Toad, and promoted to Dr. Doom's right hand man.

Doom gestured for him to close the door, and resumed talking to the president on one of the monitors. "I assure you Mr. President, this is a non issue."

"People are coming up right out of the comic books I used to read as a child." The President said angrily. "I don't see how this is a non issue. I know you're the ruler of Latvertia, but you're also an agent of the United States of America, and when you're on my soil investigating costumed people blowing up a New York news station, you report to me."

Doom glared. "Sir…"

"No, don't say anything Doom." The President said. "Not unless it has something to do with explaining what's happening in New York."

"Sir, It was just a shooting for a movie adaptation for the comics –"

"I did not come to office without knowing when somebody is lying to me!" The president yelled. "Don't give me any bull about a movie shoot, and don't tell me about plausible deniability either."

Doom waved his hands. "Out! Everybody out!"

The agents filed out past Toynbee, and he locked the door behind him and switched on the soundproofing. He did a quick scan of the van for any bugs then gave Doom the thumbs up, and stood back.

"Alright Mr. President, here's the truth." Doom said. "The comic books you read as a child? Spider-man, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, they're all true."

"Agent Doom…" The President glowered.

"No lie Mr. President." Doom said. "I was alive during that time. The heroes got their powers, and began going out, stopping banks from being robbed, ruffling the feathers of international crime syndicates, playing with the laws of reality." Doom shook his head. "The criminals upgraded, the gangs retaliated, earth began a center of attraction for various cosmic entities. The world was chaos, a tide turned only by a thin line of super powered civilians in bright costumes. And worse, some people thought the heroes were infallible! That they would always arrive in the nick of time to save the day. Our defenses were slowly being corroded away, replaced by people who had no idea what they were doing. So, the president of that era had me disband the heroes. Some refused, and were put into highly protected prison facilities. Some retired quietly into civilian life, after they'd had the reality explained to them. The super-criminals were rounded up, the cosmic entities went away. Sometimes they'd be back, but S.H.I.E.L.D. would be ready for them, because it's our job to be ready not these self-proclaimed heroes. And that's the truth mister president. Superheroes are bad for everybody, and the sooner we catch this batch and explain to them that what they're doing is not only illegal, but wrong, then this'll all go away. Maybe they'll see sense, or maybe they'll be too caught up in their little comic book world and we'll have to send them to super-prison, but in the meantime, we're going to have to actually make a movie about them to keep from copycats popping up."

"Wait, how come nothing's in the history books?" The President asked. "How can you keep something this big a secret?"

Doom shrugged. "Memory wipe technology. We did a world wide sweep, and the only people who know anything are the heroes themselves, and a few high priority people, like you and me. We've taken chapters out of history books and stopped any upcoming heroes as they turn up, before any damage is done and they inspire any super criminals. This group just got lucky. Just a fluke, I assure you. I'll send you the dossier tomorrow, and these criminals will be caught."

The President looked suspicious. "…Alright then. I'll come over to the helicarrier tomorrow on air force two. I'll expect a full debriefing."

"You'll have it sir." Doom promised. "I can even arrange for you to meet a couple of the heroes that still haven't died of old age, if you want."

"Alright then Doom, tomorrow at twenty hundred hours. I look forward to meeting some of these heroes."

"I look forward to introducing you." Doom and the President hung up. "Agent Toynbee."

"Yes sir." Toynbee stood at attention.

"Get Mastermind out of the hospital, I need him to convince the president that there are still some heroes living the quiet life."

"Yes sir." Toynbee saluted. "Do you think he'll buy it?"

"I know he will." Doom said. "How's the containment going?"

"Every occupant of the Bugle will be wiped in half an hour." Toynbee reported. "Except for a miss Urich."

"Urich?" Doom raised an eyebrow beneath his mask. "I thought we took care of the Urichs. Don't tell me one of those annoying snoops are still out there?"

"Apparently so." Toynbee said. "I've already managed to trace her, and I've sent a couple of Agents to her apartment, and to her parent's."

"And the security tapes?" Doom asked.

"Every angle we could find has been rounded up." Toynbee held up a disk and inserted it into one of the screen's slots. It played a scene of several civilians running for cover as glass shard exploded above them. "Oh, and I contacted the goblin, tried to get him out of retirement."

"And how did that go?"

"He already was, and he was in the middle of this fiasco today. He was doing some work for the Kingpin. He was trying to get them out of the way before you found out."

"I really wish I had killed that man long ago."

"I've arranged for a meeting tomorrow."

"Excellent." Doom said. "Now, go prep the commanods like I asked you to and…" Doom's voice trailed off and he froze the screen where it was playing. "Magnify sector 5D." He said urgently.

"What's wrong?" Toynbee asked, before Doom held up a hand to silence him. He looked on the screen. Where Doom magnified it, was an old man with a long white beard. He had a cane and sunglasses, and he was dressed like somebody off the streets.

"No." Doom whispered. "Not you. I killed you. I killed your whole family. I… I…"

"Sir…"

Doom spun around and punched Toynbee in the face. "Why are you still here? Go! Brief Mastermind, and then get every asset S.H.I.E.L.D. can muster and find them! Find the Avengers! Find these heroes! FIND! THAT! MAN!"

* * *

**The Next Day…**

Steve and Gwen were out having brunch.

"So what made you want to be heroes?" Gwen asked.

"Well, I think we all joined up for different reasons." Steve picked up his bacon melt. "Leo, for instance, is a nurse. He's in it to protect the sanctity of life. Whereas by contrast, Alex just thinks it'll be a good time."

"Charming." She said.

"Hey, don't be too hard on him." Steve said. "He's a good guy. My oldest friend. It's not his fault he can't take anything seriously."

"It's not?"

"No. Two years ago, his psychiatrist confirmed it. He's insane."

"Oh." She blushed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be he loves it." Steve smiled. "It's not really that serious. His shrink recommended pills, but his dad wouldn't have it. His insanity… he's just detached, you know? He can't separate what's real from what's fiction. There's no difference to him between killing people on a video game or killing somebody in real life. Not that he ever would." Steve quickly reassured Gwen.

"So he listens to you?" She asked.

"Just because he doesn't take things seriously, doesn't mean he's not my friend. We've been through a lot together. When we were young, we even had a secret language, handshake, no girls allowed club, the works."

"So what about the rest of the Avengers?"

"Well, Sofia wants to protect Alex. But I also think she wants to honor her dad. He was a war hero."

"Dead?"

"Yeah."

"Poor girl."

"Oceana just wants to be in a world where heroes exist. She's had a rough childhood. And Ben and Cho… well, I guess they just feel as if they owe us something. We started out as the Yancy Street gang, me, Alex, and Oceana. We weren't a proper gang; for one thing, when we charged people 'protection money' we actually protected them. And when we'd rob someplace, we'd sell them off for more than they were worth and only keep the extra, paying off the places we robbed in full."

"Wow. Sounds noble of you." She said. "Outlaws that take and give, just like Robin Hood right? But why did you have to rob in the first place?"

Steve blushed. "It's… a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Well, basically we had to form a gang to save Oceana's life. She was… in trouble, and the circumstances forced us to become the Yancy Street gang to save her. But when we became a gang… well, the kingpin of New York rules all the gangs. When somebody forms another one, he immediately takes it over. So, we had to pay them dividends of our income, or leave his gang. Which of course, is a death sentecne. We had to get jobs to support our low gains from our little heists, and once Sofia even had to steal from her godfather. But, we did. And we kept Nancy Street safe."

"Wow." Gwen was genuinely impressed.

"We met Ben and Cho later, rescuing them from another gang they owed money to. Leo patched them up, and… well, the three of them decided to join us. As for Jacque and Marie, they're the kids of a pair of great heroes, and they just want to live in their parent's shoes."

"And what about you?" Gwen asked.

"Me?"

"You've talked about everybody except for you. Why did you try to pay off your bosses honestly in the first place? Why did you become an avenger."

Steve finished off his bacon melt, thoughtfully. "My father was a police officer." He said. "I'm just following in his footsteps."

She leaned in, curious. "So… what's your secret identity? What does Stephen Redwing do when he's not being an Avenger?"

"He's on the police force." Steve smiled. "Like I said, I'm following in my father's footsteps."

"Well, he'd certainly be proud of you for what you did yesterday." She said.

"Saving lives is just what we heroes do." He smiled. Then his smile grew smaller. "But we should have caught the Hobgoblin. Now he's still out there and we only have a one lead to go on." He sighed. "I think we're going to need some help actually. When this all began it was just the seven of us… but now we have a couple of mutants and we still couldn't take on the Hobgoblin."

"Well, I can be an Avenger if you need back up." Gwen said.

"Really?"

"Sure. I can be… let's see… how about Black Widow? Or Iron girl!"

Steve shook his head. "Maybe after we get this whole Hobgoblin thing sorted out. We each had months of training, and we don't have time to give you the same. I've got Cho working on some hopeful reinforcements."

"Who is Cho going to try and get?" Gwen asked.

"I assume you know about Thor?"

* * *

The old man looked paler than usual as he sat in a corner of the dark room. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Yes." Cho said, sprinkling a mix of sand and salt in a circle around the candles.

"You said you weren't ready just yesterday."

"That was when I didn't know there would be actual supervillains." Cho said, picking up a crystal ball. "I thought we'd just be fighting small crime until something turned up, not a menace from an era past. That was when I thought I had time to be ready. Now, Steve thinks we need more firepower, and 'm inclined to agree with him."

"Rushing things is always a bad idea."

"I'm not rushing. I've already memorized the spell."

"But?"

Cho sighed. "Well… alright, so maybe I am a little nervous but… well, come on we're talking about meeting with gods here, who wouldn't be a little wary?"

The old man nodded. "The most important part of a Sorcerer Supreme's job, is diplomacy. Sure, a skilled sorcerer supreme could probably just beat up a lot of the cosmic entities that want to use earth as a plaything, but…"

"But I'm only sorcerer supreme because I'm the world's only sorcerer." Cho said. "Everything else I've done up to this point is a parlor trick compared to this."

The old man nodded. "Well, even Dr. Strange had to do his bit. I remember once, I was held hostage by some knights in a floating interdimensional palace because it was custom to kidnap somebody as an invitation to a wedding there, but Strange couldn't attend because he had to go to Madripoor and stop a magical black market."

"What happened?"

"Long story, but in the end I became the patron god for a tribe of dwarves. The point is, diplomacy is delicate, especially the type you're about to be getting involved in. It's not an inherent superpower, it's something you have to learn."

Cho sat cross legged in the circle. "We don't have time for learning anymore."

"I used to think like that." The old man said. "I'd always rush off to fight the aliens, without knowing anything about them. Bravado will only get you so far. Trust me Cho, there is always time."

Cho close his eyes, and contemplated for a while. Then he began chanting. The old man sat back, and waited, listening. Despite his adventures, he never really understood magic. But of the small gang he'd started with, Cho seemed to show the most affinity. Which was surprising, given that in his experience, the more background somebody had with science the less they had with magic and Cho had a photographic memory and specialized in sciences. But no matter what the reason, Cho was definitely sorcerer material. Maybe this was just what the world needed right now. A genius and a magician. Somebody to go toe-to-toe with Doom.

Cho's eyes opened, a pale white glazed over them and he finished the spell, chanting; "Zeus! Odin! Osiris! Lei-Kung!"

* * *

Winds whipped through the small dark room, and clouds swirled around the pentagram Cho was sitting in. He stood, and suddenly he was flying in the eye of an enormous hurricane.

As he watched, lightning struck to the west. He didn't have a compass, he just knew… the lightning just felt… western. The lightning grew, formed, and transformed into Zeus, king of the western gods. He stood tall and strong, his eyes cracking with the same fierce energy as the lightning bolt in his hand. His form was perfectly sculpted, radiating power and strength. His hair stood out wildly in all directions, and his tunic was embroidered with copper wire, crackling with electricity.

A wind blew from the East, and Lie-Kung emerged gracefully from the clouds. He came on a chariot made of a hurricane, but finely sculpted and painted with ornate designs of dragons and tigers. He stood tall and proud, but gave off a sense of watchfulness. Cho sensed that he couldn't be surprised by any form of attack, physical, emotional, or verbal.

Osiris came from the south. He came in fast, rolling in on waves of thunder like he didn't have time for anything other then what he came for. He was scruffy, and he had a ruffled sort of look. But when Cho looked in his eye, he realized Osiris knew how he looked, and he didn't care what you thought, he didn't have time to get all fancied up like the other gods he was busy so mind your own business.

Odin didn't come out from the North. It was more like he was already there, just waiting to be noticed. Cho had thought the old man's beard was something, but Odin's stretch out for miles, and seemed to be made entirely of stormclouds. His eyepatch was as black as night, and seemed as deep as the well he'd dropped his eye into. Odin was dressed in full battle gear, carrying a spear that would put the mightiest tree to shame. Looking at him, Cho felt a strong sense of danger, and inevitability.

"A boy?" Zues asked gruffly. "We have been summoned by a mere boy?"

"He is the sorcerer supreme Zues." Lie-Kung stated calmly. "You would do well to remember your own son, who stole from Apollo's cattle at three days old. Do not be so quick to judge."

"I'll judge what I want." Osiris said. "And I say, that the child is wasting our time. A cat must have stolen his tongue after his incantation."

"Allow me." Odin hefted his spear and took a boulder off of his belt, a rune on each of it's sides. He turned it, and struck one of the runes with his sear.

Cho suddenly remembered that he needed to breath, and gasped, turning his eyes away from the splendor of the gods.

"Meeting the gods of the skies is not for anybody boy." Odin said. "You need to be more careful about the levels of the spells you cast. I wonder, what emergency was so desperate that you have you called us here?"

Cho tried to remember his manners. "O-oh great gods of the s-sky… rulers of the four pantheons… Zues… Odin… Osiris…"

"We know our own names boy." Osiris said, dismissively. "And we know yours too. Winston Cho, thought your friends call you simply Cho unless they call you by your moniker, 'the Sandman'. Dr. Strange never bothered with such masquerades."

"That's it?" Zues asked. "Winston Cho? Not even a title? Dr. Cho? Lord Cho? Sir Cho? Even a brother Cho would do…"

"N-no… I'm sorry, I'm just Cho."

"Never apologize." Osiris snapped. "Never do anything unless you mean to do it, and if you mean to do it do not apologize afterwards."

"Go easy on the child." Lie-Kung said. "He is inexperienced."

"He has no right to be." Osiris said. "If he does something, he has no right to go about it half-heartedly."

"He has no title." Zues shook his head. "Well… I suppose Sandman sounds… a little regal… if only by association with that little imp from the other North pantheon."

"Peace." Odin said. "Do not mention them again. Now, boy… explain yourself. Why are you here?"

"A-a long time ago, a sorcerer supreme created a spell. It - it would summon the four kings of four pantheons from the four corners of the world…"

"Yes yes, we know all of this already." Osiris said. "And the spell would allow them to give one of the Pantheon's lesser gods an avatar. And this champion would be pressed into the service of the mortals, protecting them and whatnot while allowing the other gods to walk among the mortals again in secret. We know all about it. We were there when Merlin invented that spell. I am honored that you chose my pantheon instead of those from southern Africa to represent this corner of the globe like that other guy, Brother Voodoo did… I'll create a champion… blah, blah, blah are we done here?"

"Uh…" Cho ran through it in his mind. "Well, the spell requires full consensus… so…"

"I would be honored to send a champion to earth." Lie Kung said. "Unfortunately, you came at such a time where sending the Iron Fist to you would be impossible, but I am sure my fellow pantheon can think of something."

"I don't think I shall." Zeus said.

"What?" Cho asked. "Why not?"

"I am Zeus, lord of the western skies!" Zeus thundered. "I do not take orders from children with illusions of grandeur."

"Mind yourself Zeus." Lie-Kung warned.

"I do mind myself!" He said. "I am Zeus. I have more power in a fingernail than this child. The last time I sent my son Herakles as my champion, and these mongrels had him fighting foes a fraction of his power. You wasted him, denying him the glory he deserved."

"This isn't about your ego Zeus." Lie-Kung said. "It is about the gods finally being allowed to enjoy earth's splendor again."

"I'll give you that, many of my pantheon have longed to return to earth. But my champion, my representative on earth, was given less glory than his half brother Ares. And now, when heroes are awarded even less glory, he wishes me to send a representative of my power to earth and help him in his own pitiful struggle for glory?"

"Now wait just a minute!" Cho said.

"Be quite boy." Osiris chided. "And you're an idiot Zeus. If you really want glory, you should be sending your son out now before it's too late. Last time, Odin got first dibs and Thor became the household name. Do you really want to stop us all from getting our chances out of spite because you didn't get yours? Or don't you think you should maybe get your head in the game this time."

Lightning exploded around him as Zeus yelled. "How dare you speak to me in that –"

"Zeus!" Odin bellowed, swinging his spear through the air. "If you start another war, you will find me on your opposing side! Ponder on this!"

Lightning still crackled in the background, but Zeus sat down. "Fine."

"As for me." Odin said, "I will not give earth another Champion. Every time the sorcerer supreme asked, I have given them my son, Thor. But he is dead now. And since he is a god, he cannot come back to Valhalla, as he deserved for dying valiantly in battle. I lost my only son to your kind, sorcerer, and I will not send another to their needless death."

"This is not fair." Lie-Kung said. "We two have offered a champion, but we cannot give one unless you two are in full agreement."

"Well, I'll send earth a champion." Zeus said. "If Odin doesn't want to send one, it won't be as powerful, and my champion will give me the glory."

"What is wrong with you!" The four gods turned to Cho.

"Hold your tongue boy –"

"No! I won't! I'm sorry if you think I'm not a very good sorcerer supreme, but right now I'm all earth has. And I'm asking you on bended knees for more, but you're just arguing! You're the gods! You control our skies, you decide whether or not a hurricane will wipe a city off the map! And you're sitting here arguing about what you want! I'm sorry if you didn't get a chance at glory last time, but is it worth abandoning us because of your disappointment? I'm sorry if your son died, but don't you think he'd want you to send another champion?"

The four of them were silent.

"Well, you've got more spine than I'd have given you credit for Wizard." Osiris chuckled. "Of course, spine doesn't count much when one of the people you're yelling at only cares about power and glory, the other thinks courage takes a backseat to intelligence, and the other is upset because you've tried to tell him what his son would be thinking. Good try though."

Odin tapped another rune with his spear, and Cho flew away.

"Meeting adjourned." Odin rumbled.

"Odin, you know that he won't be able to find anybody else." Lie-Kung said. "The three of us have already agreed, he can't go to the other northern pantheon now."

"He's right." Osiris said. "They won't need us forever, but right now they do. Don't be stubborn. Let's not waste the opportunity."

"I will not send another son to his death." Odin rumbled.

* * *

Cho gasped for breath.

"What is it?" The old man asked. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah." Cho shook his head. "I yelled at them."

"You… yelled at them."

"Yeah."

"So… no back-up?"

"Not for the time being, no."

The old man sighed. "Well, you did your best. It would've been nice to have Thor around though. What were your impressions on them?"

Cho shook his head. "Osiris was… practical. Zeus think power is everything. Lei-Kung acted very much like nobility. Odin was…" He shook his head. "He was impressive."

The old man nodded. "Remember this." He said. "This is your first lesson in supernatural diplomacy; everybody is different, including the gods. You have to find a way to reach all of their angles at once, in a way that meets your own." There was a knock at the door and the old man went up to get it. Chance came in, carrying baby Suzie. "Hermes is here, and he wants to talk to you." Chance said.

"Hermes?" Cho asked.

"Not the greek god." The old man explained. "He's a gopher for the superhero community."

"And the best damn courier in the world at that." A young blonde man walked up to them.

"Hermes." The old man shook his hand. "Welcome to Avengers H.Q."

"Wow, you do tend to go through Stark's secret bases. This one's a mess."

"Allow me to introduce you to the Sandman, our resident sorcerer supreme."

Hermes shook his hand. "Hello. I'm Hermes, world's greatest Courier. If you need anything, I'll find it for you. If you need something to get from point A to point B without being broken, read, or tampered with, you can consider it done the moment it's in my hands. Whether you need a decoy run or a family member across the border with papers that'll fool anybody, I'm your man." He offered his card. "Preferential treatment for superheroes."

"Wow." The Cho said, taking his card. "So, you're the middleman for the superhero community?" Hermes nodded, proudly. "How many others are out there besides us?"

"Well…" The Hermes counted on his fingers. "There's the old man whom you've met, Remy Lebue in New Orleans, Jubilee and McCoy are in Los Angeles, and Stein, Todd, and Gargan are in some Irish prison, but they'll be out on parole in two days. Then there's the Black Panther's people and the Inhumans fighting their civil wars in the Savage land. And the X-men, Task Force Zero in Japan, and you guys."

"Wow." Wizard pocketed the card. "So… you have superpowers?"

"Yep." He lifted his chin, proudly. "I'm a mutant, born and bred. I can find anything."

"You find stuff?" Cho raised an eyebrow.

"Don't knock my powers kid." Hermes said. "I can find danger, thus avoiding it. Whenever I need it, I can find a weapon. I can even find metaphysical stuff, what a person's afraid of."

"So…" Cho rubbed his chin. "Would you be able to find out the old man's name? He won't tell us who he is."

"Well…" Hermes looked at the old man.

"No." He said. "My name is personal. There's a reason I don't tell it to you. Now, Hermes, I need you to find something for me."

"Yes sir." He saluted.

"Help." He said. "Captain America says we need reinforcements. Our first fight against a super villain… left something to be desired in the way of actually defeating him."

"Sure thing." Hermes looked around. "Yeah, I see something that could help. Not too far away either. I'm pretty sure I can get it to you tomorrow."

"Okay thanks." The Old man said.

"No problem. There's also another reason why I came over."

"Oh?" The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Your ex is coming to visit."

"What? When?"

"Noon today. Sorry about the short notice. She's worried that you're doing something reckless and impulsive again."

"Oh no."

"Who's your ex?" Cho asked.

"Jubilee." The old man sighed. "Leader of the X-men. Come on, we have to clean this place up."


	5. Chpt 5 The Avengers Fight The X Men

_**Chapter Five; In Which The Avengers Fight The X-Men**_

_Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove._

_**Terry Pratchett**_

The shadows didn't come off the wall. At least, not in the sense one would expect. It didn't spread like smoke or ink. It was more like the lights in the room dimmed, and the shadows deepened. They didn't come off the wall; the light went away from it, replacing it with an impenetrable shadow. Then, the room brightened again, and where the shadows used to be there were ten mutants wearing yellow and blue uniforms.

The leader was an old Chinese-American lady, wearing a yellow long coat and stylized sunglasses. She carried a wicked katana strapped to her back. The Avengers watched as she strode up to the old man. "And how's my special little girl?" She asked.

"Safe as a kitten." The old man said, holding up baby Suzie.

"I wasn't talking about that girl." She smirked.

"Ouch. Only thing sharper than your blade is your wits. I think it cut me."

"Mommeeeeeeeee!" Baby Suzie squealed happily.

"Awe, I'm here honey." She said taking the baby from the old man. "Mommy's here."

"You were gone mommy!" Baby Susie said.

"But I'm back now baby." She kissed her on the forehead.

"It has been a while Jubilee." The old man said. "Your team's grown."

"So has yours." Jubilee said. "I –" She stopped suddenly. "You didn't."

"Didn't what?" The old man asked, placing himself in front of the Avengers.

"You." She pointed at Leo. "Take off those claws. Now."

"Listen Jubilee –"

"How dare you try and replace Wolverine." She glared at the old man. "How dare you give his claws to some off the street kid?"

"I'm not trying to replace Wolverine, honest. I took these kids in to be Avengers and armed them to complement their unique strengths."

"Kid, what are your unique strengths?" Jubilee asked, glaring at him.

He stammered under her glare. "Well – I'm… I'm a nurse…"

"A nurse?" Jubilee asked. "You mean… are you comfortable with hurting people kid?"

"Uh… not really… no."

"I cannot believe you gave his claws to that kid!" Jubilee yelled.

"Now Jubilee…" Hank McCoy, formerly the Beast, came up behind her. Jubilee and the old man were old, but he was ancient. He walked slowly towards them, small, bald, and overweight. "Maybe he had a good reason to…"

"He told me his reasons, and it's not good enough!" Jubilee snapped.

"Mommy, stop yelling!" Suzie yelled.

"Let's all discuss this rationally… and in another room." Hank said, realizing their teams were watching.

Jubilee grunted in disgust and stormed out of the room, Hank and the old man behind her.

The bald teen in front of the X-men whistled. "Boy, are you ever in trouble." He said.

Captain America extended his hand and they shook. "I'm Captain America. These are the Avengers; Wolverine, Daredevil, Deadpool, Scarlet Spider, Ironclad, Sandman, Chance, and Angel." He gestured to each of them in turn.

"I'm Owlman." The bald teen introduced himself. "I can turn invisible, and see in every are the X-men: Black Rose, our pshycic and empath." He gestured to a girl with long black hair. "Juggernaut, the virtually unstoppable man." A small Asian kid. "Coyote, transforms into a werewolf." A grizzly looking man wearing a cowboy hat. "Big Bang, makes bombs." an athletic looking teen. "Blackbird, flyer." a girl with large black wings, "Nightflyer, shadow manipulation, hypnosis, flight." A girl with butterfly wings which swirled with shadows. "And Stingray, breathes underwater, superstrong, and is electrically charged." A lanky African man.

"It's nice to meet you all." Captain America said. "Uh... none of us have any powers except for..."

"Chance and Angel, we know." Owlman nodded. "Electricity manipulation, telekenesis on non-organics, and Pshycometry."

"We trained with the X-men for a time." Chance informed him.

The old man came back in, followed by Jubilee and Hank. "Alright, Avengers, assemble in the danger room."

"You too X-men." Jubilee said.

"What's going on?" Captain America asked.

"A training exercise." The old man said. "X-men vs. Avengers."

* * *

The heroes gathered in the Danger room as the old man sat in the observation deck with Gwen, Jubilee and Hank. Hank was fixing up the control panel a bit, and Jubilee was cradling a sleeping Suzie.

"So does this sort of thing happen often?" Gwen asked sarcastically.

"Ah, remember the good old days?" The old man asked Jubilee without a hint that he caught Gwen's sarcasm. "Two teams of superheroes meet, and they wouldn't trust each other, or one of them would be under mind control, and they'd fight, and then after the fight they'd be thick as thieves?"

"I came after that." Jubilee said. "When everybody already knew each other. Still, it is a good way to get a handle on the other team."

"My Avengers can handle your X-men."

"Even the nurse?"

"You'd be surprised. He's very calm under pressure, always thinking about what needs to be done, and then doing it. Believe it or not, these guys were fighting crimes before I took them in and taught them how to be better."

Jubilee shook her head. "These people aren't the Avengers."

"Maybe not yet. But they're getting there."

"You were always so impulsive." Jubilee sighed. "I can't help but think that you're just going with what comes. Are thinking any of this through?"

"Yeah, some of it." He said. "But plans change. I find it's best to adjust them as they go along. And let's not forget, I'm not the only person in this room who used to be impulsive."

Jubilee sighed. "Still, you'll keep your word? If the X-men win, you'll give me Logan's claws?"

"They won't win."

"But if they do will you keep your word."

He sighed. "Yes. But my kids will win. They may not be Avengers, not yet, but they're pretty damn close."

He leaned in to the intercom. "Alright, is everybody ready?" He received acknowledgement from the Avengers and the X-men. "Alright then. Avengers, you should know that Jubilee is testing you here. So win this thing. Okay?"

He waited a while, then Hank whispered. "They're nodding."

"Oh. Okay." He continued. "Alright; no going for the jugular. If you have a member of the opposite team at your mercy, call their names, and Hank will judge whether or not the person will be out of the exercise. Everybody understand the rules." Hank told him they were nodding again. "Okay, everybody to the opposite sides of the Danger room."

As Captain America walked to the other side of the room, he saw Owlman talking to his team. "Alright Avengers." He said as they formed a huddle. "There are nine of us, eight of them. No doubt the X-men will try to single you out. Do the best you can against whoever tries to fight you, but if you see a team mate in trouble you help. Angel, I want you behind us providing support."

"Why not Wolverine?" Chance asked. "Support is what he's best at."

"This is a test." Cap said. "And Jubilee obviously doesn't want him to pass. So he has to, and with flying colors. Angel, if one of us looks like we're about to be overwhelmed, jump in."

The X-men were forming their own huddle. "Juggernaut, you take Ironclad." Owlman whispered. "I'll take Captain America. Coyote, Wolverine. Nightflyer, Sandman. Stingray, Chance. Blackbird, Scarlet Spider. Big Bang, Deadpool. Black Rose, Daredevil. I think they'll probably keep Angel in reserve, but they have us outnumbered so take them down fast and once you've finished with your opposite move in to help somebody else or fight anybody without a dance partner."

"Ready?" Hank asked through the intercom. The two teams broke from their huddles and formed lines. "Go!"

The two teams rushed at each other. Ironclad began to go towards Coyote, but Juggernaut blocked him. "Hey, pick on somebody in your own weight class." He said. With a flash of light, Juggernaut transformed from a small Asian kid to a giant with a silver helmet that was so big it covered his broad shoulders.

"Oh –" Ironclad was too shocked to dodge Juggernaut's first swing.

Sandman flew up, and suddenly he was blind. "What –" he dispelled the darkness over his eyes, just before Nightflyer hit him with a mace made of solid shadow.

Scarlet Spider swung over the crowd and got ready to shoot a string of webbing at Coyote for going after her brother. Then Blackbird swooped in, plowing her into the wall.

Daredevil stopped suddenly, as a man with a bullet through his head walked up to her.

"What? Carlos?" Daredevil backed off.

"Oceana… how could you…" Daredevil charged angrily at him, through him, and toward Black Rose.

"What are you, some sort of telepath? Somebody who uses her powers to scare people? That may work on some people, but I'm Daredevil, the woman without fear, and all it did was make me angry!" She pinned Black Rose to the wall. "Black Rose!" She yelled.

"Black Rose is out!" Hank ruled.

"One of yours already." The old man smirked.

"Jean Grey was weak too when she first started." Jubilee retorted. "Just wait. The X-men will win."

Big Bang conjured up a glowing orb the size of a baseball, and threw it at Deadpool. "He makes the pitch, and here comes the swing!" Deadpool swung with his bat, and knocked the orb at the back of Juggernaut's head. "The crowd goes wild!"

"Bang!" Owlman yelled from somewhere, invisible. "Close quarter bursts only!" He jabbed at Captain America, who threw a punch back that only hit empty air.

"Yeah, listen to mommy and stop playing with fire." Deadpool slid up to Big Bang and whacked him across the knees with a pool cue.

"I'm going to make you eat that cue!" Bang yelled, throwing a burst the size of a melon at Deadpool's head. He ducked, and was about to make a witty remark but it exploded behind him, sending him flying through the air at Bang's waiting fist. "Deadpool!" He yelled.

"Deadpool is out." McCoy said. "Probably literally. Tone it down Big Bang."

"If one of your students seriously injures one of my team…" The old man glowered.

"If they're Avengers they can handle it." Jubilee said smugly. "Although, Big Bang always is on a short fuse."

"Great, now Angel!" Owlboy said. Bang prepared to throw a coin sized explosion at her, when Chance zapped him.

"Big Bang!" He yelled. He caught the metal lasso Stingray sent through the air, and reversed his own electric shock back at him. "Stingray!"

"Big Bang and Stingray are out." McCoy said.

"The Avengers are three for one." The Old man smirked. "The fight is now eight to five."

"Maybe I'd be worried if I hadn't trained the guy who's been making all of the big hits on your team." She said. "As it is, the only heavy hitter you've taken out is Stingray, and unless I miss my guess, he was just a distraction for my team."

"How can you talk so calmly about this?" Gwen asked. "They're fighting each other down there!"

"It's only an exercise." The old man said. "You're allowed to take things calmly here. This is where we find potential weak spots for our teams, make improvements, and generally get to know each other. You weren't here back in the old days, but when two new teams fought it was an excellent bonding experience. Trust me, when this is over, the X-men and the Avengers are going to be calling on each other for help during crises and they'll work together like a dream."

"Except maybe Big Bang and Deadpool." Jubilee corrected.

"Oh, well, yes of course, there will be some grudges." The old man acknowledged. "But Wolverine never liked anybody either. It's part of who he was."

"Speaking of Wolverine…" Juilee said. "Your boy seems to be losing."

Wolverine was losing ground. Coyote had turned into a giant werewolf and was slashing at him. Wolverine was reluctant to fight back, since his only weapons were his claws. He held his arms up, the metal bracing underneath his jacket stopping Coyote's claws.

"Blackbird!" Scarlet Spider yelled, holding Blackbird against the wall. "Hey, need a hand there Wolverine?"

"I'm good." He grunted, dodging an attack to his legs.

"Wolverine has to do this on his own." Captain America said, keeping his defenses up for Owlboy's next unseen attack. "If you want to help, help…"

"Ironclad!" Juggernaut waved up at the booth as he sat on Ben in his armored suit.

"Ironclad is out." McCoy said.

"Well then…" The Juggernaut got up. "Who else wants a piece of me?"

Chance, Angel, Scarlet Spider and Daredevil rushed at the Juggernaut. He charged at them in return. Chance reached out and paralyzed the Juggernaut. He grunted, and lifted a foot. "No way…" Chance whispered, before the Juggernaut stomped his foot down. The ground shook, and Owlboy managed to get another kick in on Captain America, though Wolverine kept his balance.

"Careful Juggernaut!" McCoy snapped.

"It's alright, this place is earthquake proof." The Old man said.

"Earthquake?" Suzie squealed and hid under a chair.

"All fine and good, but I assure you, your base is not Juggernaut proof." McCoy said. "When Yama's in this form, he lives in a world made of paper, and your base is only exceptionally strong cardboard."

Juggernaut moved forward, steadily, like a train. "I… I should be able to stop him…" Chance said backing away.

"Funny." The Juggernaut grunted. "My old man had a saying about that." He grabbed a loose piece of floor plate. "Nothing can stop the Juggernaut!" He threw the plate and it cut Chance's feet from under him. He landed on the floor, and Juggernaut took advantage of his laps in concentration to grab him. "Chance!" He yelled.

"I can still escape!" Chance protested. "I'm not out yet."

"If the Juggernaut has you, then you're out." McCoy ruled.

"This is so unfair." Chance muttered.

"Angel, use your powers!" Cap yelled, through a flurry of exchanging blows. "Scarlet, your webbing! Daredevil, keep him off balance!"

The Juggernaut rose through the air, as his uniform got lifted up by Angel. He felt sticky, and he saw the strands of webbing covering him. "Well, you guys are good." He said. "But you're outmatched. Don't take it personally." The Juggernaut tore out of the webbing, punching through Angel's telekinesis. He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Angel!" He yelled.

Daredevil and Scarlet Spider were less easy to get a hold of. They whirled and dodged, never letting him get close enough. But he'd been in this situation before. He wasn't going to play their game of tag. They were going to play his game. He picked up pieces of upturned floor and began tossing them at the girls nonchalantly. He wasn't trying to hit them; he was trying to make them dodge in the direction he wanted them to. When he saw his opportunity, he reached out and grabbed Daredevil, yelling out her name. Then he caught a strand of web fluid Scarlet Spider shot at her. He yanked it towards him, and caught her at the other end.

"Scarlet Spider and Daredevil are out." McCoy announced.

Wolverine dodged another slashing attack to his legs. "You have great balance." Coyote lunged. "And you're calmer than a lot of the people I've met when they see me."

Wolverine dodged. "I don't scare easy." He said, reaching into his shirt. He took out a pair of needles, and injected them into Coyote.

"Coyote!" He yelled.

"What were in those needles?" McCoy asked.

"Oh, just some concentrated rattlesnake venom." Wolverine replied. "He should start to feel shaky by now."

Coyote looked down at his paw. It was beginning to shake. "What… what did you… you poisoned me!" He screamed.

"Administer the antidote immediately young man!" McCoy said.

"Alright, fine. Like I'd let him die." Wolverine began tending to Coyote.

"This is just a test." Jubilee growled. "And he just poisoned one of my students."

The old man chuckled. "Our Wolverine wouldn't have left the fight without his opponent bleeding."

"That was different."

"Oh yes, very much so. My Wolverine can actually fix his opponent once he's done beating the stuffing out of him." The old man smiled. "I've won the bet. The Avengers are here to stay."

Jubilee growled. "No. The bet was, to the last man standing. And right now, I have three heavy hitters out there; an invisible master strategist, and unstoppable force, a girl who can manipulate darkness itself."

"Oh no. And all I've got is a master strategist with Captain America's unbreakable shield, a nurse who's qualified to be a doctor, and the sorcerer supreme. Whatever will happen?"

"Wolverine, distract the Juggernaut!" Cap yelled. "Do not let him get a grip on you!"

"Sure thing Captain." Wolverine drew his claws and stalked over the unstoppable man. "Distract him from what?"

"This. Ends. Now." They looked up. The Sandman had finished his fight with Nightflyer, and gently lowered her to the ground, asleep. "Nightflyer." He said.

"Nightflyer is out." McCoy ruled.

Sandman cracked his fingers, and the ran at the Juggernaut. "Alright, fine." The Juggernaut said. "Let's see what you can do."

The Sandman raised his hand and chanted something. The Juggernaut shimmered, then stumbled, and his massive form dissolved back into the nerdy Asian kid he was before the test. "Oh my stars and garters." McCoy whispered.

"Juggernaut!" The Sandman yelled. He took some sand out of the pouch on his costume's belt and blew it into the wind. It swirled around, before latching onto something invisible, then changing their colors, blending in, until Owlboy stood before him.

He smiled. "Well played." He said, raising his hands. "I surrender."

"The Avengers win!" McCoy announced.

"Yaaaaay!" Suzie squeeled. "We won mommy! We won!"

Jubilee glared at the old man, who just smiled smugly, unable to see it.

* * *

"yeeesss." The Hood hissed, watching from inside the walls. He felt a tugging, and banished it, annoyed. Then he remembered the last time he'd ignored Doom's summons. He sighed, and walked away. _This had better be important. _He thought.

With a swirl of his cloak, he was in the spirit of New York. The domain in which he ruled. He soared through it quickly, not wanting to be there any longer than he had to. It always felt like he had somebody else's shoes on when he was in this desolate place. It certainly came in handy, being able to watch and subtly influence anybody in New York. But he wished to be rid of it all the same.

He reached the Tomorrow Tower, and stood back to admire it. While the spirits of the rest of New York had fallen into decay, Tomorrow Tower stood tall and shone bright. A symbol of hopelessness to the world. It sat on top of the ruins of the Avengers mansion, and it's sub-basements were still intact. Doom often went down there when he was in a good mood, to savor his past victories and try to pick up Thor's hammer, which had since been turned into a walking stick through non use. Not that Doom would ever figure out how to pick it back up. And he never would. The Hood chuckled grimly, then let himself in.

He floated out of the ceiling into the Kingpin's conference room. "Hello gentlemen." He said smiling. There were four other people in the room. First, his counterpart, Mr. Hyde. The 'official' Kingpin of crime. Then the Hobgoblin sat in the shadows in the room's corner. So, a normal Friday afternoon. It was there other two who ere commonplace; Doom, and his lackey, Toad. Usually, he asked Hyde and Hood to come up to S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier for a talk. Apparently, this wasn't a normal meeting, and he could guess what the topic manner was.

"Hood." Doom sneered. "The most interesting thing happened yesterday. Three floors of a local newspaper company were completely demolished."

"I'd heard." Hood said.

"I see. Then you know that our former associate here was part of the demolition team. When I asked him about it, he said you had hired him. To defeat this new incarnation of the Avengers."

The Hood bowed. "I was going to tell you…"

"You were never going to tell me!" Doom snarled. "If you were going to tell me, you would have done it before you took the Goblin out of retirement without my consent."

"Excuse me." He said, from his corner. "But, you aren't my mother Doom. I can kill people if I want to kill them."

Doom shook his head. "Because of you three, the Avengers were almost exposed to the world. And what do you have to say for yourselves? The heroes dead and gone, and you almost drew them out there to inspire people again!"

"Hey, don't look at me." The Hood said. "We were just doing what you would have done. We always send the Goblin after the new heroes and any witnesses because this is what he does best, and when he doesn't get to go he get's grumpy and kills people." He chuckled form the corner. "We just did what we always did, and expected the same result. Maybe you should ask him what went wrong."

Doom sighed. "And have you found the yet?"

"Yep." The Hood nodded. "I'm beginning to mess with their emotions some. Their base is one of Stark's old headquarters."

"He has more secret bases than he had women." Hyde snorted.

"I thought you located all of them." Doom glared.

"Yes, and I told you where they were, and you didn't get around to destroying them all because of the money involved." The Hood said scornfully. "And you know what… I don't think that's the reason at all."

Doom stiffened. "What was that Hood?"

"Why was it, that this is the first time in a while that I've gotten to the heroes first?"

"Coincidence."

"Was it? Or are you letting them slip through your fingers again, 'Doom'?"

"That's enough Hood."

"Seriously though, the way I see it, things are safe enough in our hands. Your meddling will only mean more heroes will get away."

"Hood, I'm warning you…"

"Oh, and by the way, how's that meeting with the president going? Yes, I was eavesdropping on your conversation earlier. Shouldn't you be holding his hand now as he geeks out over the heroes that you're supposed to be introducing him to?"

Doom fumed. "If you are quite done mister Robbins… you say that by your perspective I'm and old doddering fool. Well, perhaps you need your prescription checked. How are those contact lenses treating you?"

Hood's eyes widened. "Son of a-AAAARRRRGGGHHH!" The Hood writhed on the ground, sparks shooting out of his eyes. Doom hadn't even moved; it was Toynbee holding the remote. After a while, he stopped shocking him.

"You…" Hood gasped. "You maniac…"

"Bear in mind that I am the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and my arm is long reaching… even to optometrist shops. And while the charge is set to non lethal, you are no spring chicken any more. It would be unfortunate if you were to suffer a heart attack. I keep you alive for one reason only. Do not make me forget why I have yet to dispose of you."

"The president is meeting with Mastermind." He said, to nobody in particular now. "While he is skirting the edges of senility, he serves his purpose still for now. Everything is going as I planned." He turned to the shadowy corner. "Kill them all old friend. Bring one back to me, so I may send a message to their master. But kill the rest. Hood, help him. The usual plan B."

The Hobgoblin cackled from his corner, and emerged. He had a new uniform on. This one green and purple instead of orange and blue. "I'm going to have fun with these guys." He said. "It's about time Norman Osborn showed his true colors again."

* * *

The old man leaned against the wall as Jubilee watched their teams socialize. "I can't believe what you did." She said. "You knew he was like a father to me. How could you just... give his claws to someone else."

He sighed. "I didn't."

"What?"

He grinned mischieveously. "Jubes, I know how much Logan meant to you. Did you really think I'd give somebody else his claws? Don't tell him, but the Wolverine's got X-23's claws." The old man smiled proudly.

Jubilee looked shocked, the blushed furiously and punched him. "What was that for?" He asked.

"Well I don't know, let's think." She growled. "You deliberately let me think he had Logan's claws, provoking a fight between my team in which the kid you gave the claws to almost poisoned one of my students. Then, you reveal that you've decided to dishonor Wolverine's memory more, by giving his name to this punk but giving him the claws of his female clone instead. Who could possibly get angry at that?"

The old man's mouth opened and closed for a second, and then he made an apologetic face. "It seemed like a good idea at the time?"

She slapped him. "This is exactly the kind of stuff that made me divorce you." She said angrily. "This is the stuff that got the last couple of Avengers killed." She stormed off to get her baby.

Captain America, talking about strategy with Owlman over a game of chess, had overheard the conversation. He mulled it over as he took Owlman's bishop.

In another area of the room, Coyote grabbed Wolverine's choulder and spun him around. "So, what made you think it was a good idea to poison me?" Coyote asked Wolverine with a growl.

Wolverine snorted. "I didn't poison you. I'm a pacifist."

Coyote raised his eyebrows. "Then what…"

"Adrenaline shots." He said. "They heightened your senses, scared you, made your hand shake. Nothing more."

Coyote rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's cheating."

"Winning."

Coyote smiled with a new respect.

Jubilee brushed past them. "Saddle up Nightflyer, we're going."

"So soon?" The old man asked.

"We're on the hunt for a mutant in the drug business." Owlman explained. "Good luck trying to bring heroes to public light."

"Same to you." Cap acknowledged.

A shadow passed over the X-men. Suzie gave a last yell of "By daddy!" Before they vanished.

"Well that was nice." Deadpool said. "It's not often people try to beat you up politely."

"You bet." His sister smiled. "I got the Juggernaut's phone number."

"Scarlet Spider." Cap said. "I want you and Daredevil to track down the Connor brothers. They were the ones who tried to attack that convenience store a couple of days ago. Find out who they told; it'll lead us to the Hobgoblin for a preemptive strike."

"Sure thing boss." She grabbed Daredevil and headed for the exit.

"Angel, do you mind if I speak with you alone for a second?" Cap asked. Angel nodded. "Everybody else get some rest." Cap said. "We're going to have a busy day tomorrow if the lead works out." He and Angel left the room.

Wolverine ran after Daredevil. "Hey, Oceana." He caught up with them. "Do you mind Sofia?"

Scarlet Spider backed off and Wolverine took her aside. "Oceana, you seemed… tense back there with Black Rose. You said something about her showing you your worst fear." He hesitated. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine." She said, brushing him off. "It was just an illusion."

"You're sure?" He asked. "Do… do you want to tell me who Carlos is?"

"No." She said sternly and coldly. "Excuse me, I have work to do." Wolverine watched sadly as she left with Scarlet Spider.

Captain America took Angel to a room and closed the door. "Angel, I want to ask you a few questions." He said.

She gestured for him to start.

"Alright… so, the superhero community hasn't died out, right? It's just been in hiding."

"That is correct." She said.

"So, why hasn't anybody tried to form the Avengers before?" He asked. "We just met a whole team of mutants… has it seriously taken this long to come up with the idea to reform the Avengers?"

She looked taken aback. The she mulled it over, and asked; "Can you keep a secret?"

"It depends on the secret." He said.

She sighed. "Well, I can't tell you anything unless you promise not to tell Jacque."

Cap thought about it. "Alright. Tell me."

They sat down. "This isn't the first time the old man's tried to reform the Avengers." She said. "Just because two generations of heroes are all but extinct, doesn't mean people stop getting bitten by radioactive animals or falling under ancient curses or getting struck by lightning in just such a way as to produce a superpower."

"The Old man's gathered heroes together before, when he could find them before S.H.I.E.L.D. does. But they always died off. Don't ask me how, I just know this much from what my father knows. The old man has formed seven versions of the Avengers before you. All are dead."

Cap was shocked. "How… how could he not have told us?"

Angel shrugged apologetically. "Would you have agreed to being Avengers if you'd known?" She asked.

"No! I'd never have put my friends in this danger if I had known about this. What could he have been thinking?"

"I don't know." Angel said. "But I do know he thinks you're the ones who will bring Doom down."

"You're just saying that." He said. "Why would he trust us more than people with actual powers?"

"I don't know." She shrugged again. "But I do know that he does. My brother has wanted to be an Avenger ever since our mother told us stories when we were children, about how she was a member of the X-men. But the old man owes our father, and would never ask for my brother or for me to be on a team unless he was certain this team wouldn't fail."

Captain America was silent. He opened the door and left the room. Angel shivered, and went looking for Jacque.


	6. Chpt 6 Things Get Serious

**_Chapter 6; In Which Things Get Serious_**

_I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it._

**_Walt Disney_**

Scarlet Spider grinned under her mask. Not that the lowlifes cowering in the basement of their old grandmother's house could see it. "Well, I think Mr. Right and Mr. Left have put forth quite eloquent arguments." She said, baring her fists. "Do you want to argue with them some more?"

The two shook their heads.

"Well then tell me, who and where the Kingpin is."

"He… he calls himself Mr. Hyde." The younger of the Connor brothers said. He was the one who brought the chainsaw. Probably thought it made him look tough.

"Where can I find him?"

"He, uh, people say he lives in a penthouse on top of Tomorrow Tower."

She grinned. "If I find out he isn't, me and my friends will come back and have more… 'words' with you."

The cringed as she stalked out of the basement.

Daredevil was waiting outside. "I got what we need." Scarlet Spider said. "It's not ideal, but it's our only lead on the Hobgoblin. Come on, let's go tell Steve."

They walked in silence for a while, going through back-alleys until they reached a fire escape. As she reached the top of the ladder, Sofia waited at the top for Oceana. "So what's on your mind?" She asked once she reached the top.

"Nothing." Oceana said.

Sofia shook her head. "And to that, I'm going to have to say no. You haven't talked to me since we fought the Hobgoblin."

Oceana shrugged. "I just haven't had anything to say." She tried to walk past, but Sofia held up a hand to stop her.

"No. Something's troubling you, and it's not sitting well. You know you need to talk to somebody about it, so we're sitting here until you spill."

"I don't need an intervention." Oceana said angrily.

"Yeah? Well I think you do. You've never talked to Leo like that before."

"Get out of my way."

Oceana took out her billy club and launched it at Sofia. She caught it, and pulled Ocean close, putting her in a hold. "Wow, something really is bugging you. I'd hate to be Leo when you come back to H.Q. today unless you calm down right now."

That hit a nerve. "Alright, you want to know what's bugging me? It's those guns of yours."

Sofia was surprised. "What about them?"

"They're just… arrgh!" Oceana growled. "Alright, I'll tell you if you let me go."

Sofia let go, and they both sat down on one of the roof's vents. "Okay, so what's up?"

Oceana sighed and looked out over the sea of rooftops. "Do you see over there?" She pointed. "The Brooklyn Bridge?"

"What about it?" Sofia asked.

"That's where I almost committed suicide."

Sofia gasped softly, and there was an awkward, nervous pause.

"I grew up in the bad part of town. The really bad part. Everybody had to join a gang to survive. My parents… they were loving and all, but they were in with the gangs too and… when I grew up so was I. I grew up in a world where everybody, no matter how friendly they were, had skeletons in their closets. Sometimes… literally."

"In… in every movie I ever watched, the police officers were corrupt, the politicians were corrupt, the… the orphanage directors… every job that required an ounce of care for a fellow human being was taken by somebody who just wanted the job… just for sake of wanting the job. Every book I ever read, the hero is a jerk, or he dies in the end, or he has to do something really dreadful to win, or his prize is some awful perversion of his dream."

"I… I didn't believe there was good in the world. In the end, I into drugs… illegal drugs… addicting drugs… and I…"

She paused, and shuddered. "I shot somebody. I killed him."

"Carlos?" Scarlet Spider asked, in a whisper.

Daredevil nodded. "My parents… they both died in a shooting and I… I just shot somebody." Tears started running from underneath her mask. "Guns. I hate guns. Once you take a shot you can never take it back."

"So… I tried to kill myself. I didn't want to live in a world where the good guy always loses. I wished I could live in comic book worlds like my parents read to me, where good people did good things just for the sake of doing it… but my life wasn't a comic book… more like a noir film. Everything so dark and… and I didn't want to be in the dark anymore. The old man wanted me to be Daredevil because I have no fear…. I have no fear, because I know what it's like to have no hope."

"Anyways, long story short, Steve found me, just as I was about to jump. At first, I thought he had some sort of ulterior motive but… he was kind to me. Just for the sake of being kind. He challenged the leader of my gang for right to ownership… he put his life on the line for me. The Yancy Street Gang was started just so I could live my own life. He sent me to rehab, where I met Leo. And he was kind too, without any reason for being kind."

"And… and now we're superheroes. We're living in the comic book world I always wished was real, surrounded by good people willing to do good things for the sake of helping people… and… and I just found out that one of them carries a pair of guns around. You didn't even hesitate to just… you just shot the Hobgoblin and… and…"

She pulled off her mask to wipe away the tears. "Hate guns. Anything can be a weapon. Chairs, cars, rope… but a gun is the only thing that has no ulterior motive. It kills people. Maims people. Hurts people. There is nothing else you can do with a gun and you carry two around like they're nothing. We're supposed to be heroes… why…"

Sofia wrapped her arm around Oceana. "I'm sorry Ocy. I… didn't know. I just assumed you were another friend of Steve's like my brother. I had no idea you'd… lived such a hard life. But… well…"

"Well for goodness sakes girl, could you stop being such a drama queen?"

Oceana looked up in shock.

Sofia took off her mask so she could speak properly. "Look at this." She said, pulling out one of her guns. "Look at it. It's just a few pieces of cold metal. It's not responsible for making your childhood suck. It doesn't corrupt anybody using it into a cold killing machine. It. Is. A. Tool. And you're right, it is designed to kill. But you know what? It didn't design itself. People designed it. And it was the people who traumatized you Oceana. Not the guns. The guns only help people kill people, but it's people who do the killing, and if it weren't for guns they'd be using knives or something and it would be far more messy."

"Man. My guns… they're the only thing I have left of my dad. He used to be in the army, a high ranking general. But he retired when Alex and I were born so he could spend more time with us. He was a great dad, the best. He always had time for me and Alex, but he didn't spoil us either. He took care of us, taught us how to take care of ourselves, and when the doctors diagnosed Alex, he didn't act weird about it at all, he still loved each of us the same."

"I wish he was here now. I bet he and the old man would get along famously. When he died, we got stuck with our uncle Norm. He's really weird, like he's always hiding something. He has this horrible haircut, and a personality like a train wreck. It's horrible to watch, but you can't look away. When we came back after months of being missing, he was actually looking happy."

"You see, I know who to blame for my problems… Uncle Norm. I don't blame his haircut for making him a horrible person; he is a horrible person who just happens to have a bad haircut. Could World War Two have been prevented if Hitler hadn't used guns? No! Because guns weren't the issue. The issue was Hitler being a bad guy."

"When Steve decided we should be Avengers… well, the old man can tell all the stories he wants, but I think my dad is the greatest hero of all time. And I wanted to… you know… show it. These were the guns he used to teach Alex and me to shoot with. And I know we're not killers, I just keep them around for when all else fails."

"But you didn't hesitate." Oceana said. "You just shot right at the Hobgoblin without hesitation."

"Self-defense." Sofia said. "Guns are only as evil as the person behind them. I only shot him in the knee remember, I was only going to go for a kill shot if I had no other choice."

"But you would have gone for the kill shot." Oceana countered.

Sofia sighed. "Are you saying the Hobgoblin didn't deserve to die if I had shot him? Some people need a good shooting."

"I don't think we should have to kill." Oceana said. "If you kill somebody, what's the difference between you and some other killer?"

Sofia sighed. "Probably the first difference, is that I'll shoot to hurt or maim unless I have no other option. And probably the fact that I'm not a complete monster who will go on to hurt more people unless somebody shoots me. Those are a couple of pretty big differences."

Oceana sighed. Sofia wrapped her arm around her. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you've had a hard life, but you aren't the only one. I still do good things for people, I'm still the Spider you know and love. I just carry around my father's guns. I'm still not even sure why I'm suddenly ms. Samaritan. Probably the way you talk about heroes."

Oceana smiled.

"Does it really make me a bad person, if I carry around a pair of guns, and use them in my father's memory? Are the whole Army and Navy filled with monsters, just because they're issued firearms?"

Oceana sighed. "I guess not."

"Just remember." She said. "Sometimes people do bad things. But there are a lot more good people in this world than bad.

The two of them hugged comfortingly. "I wouldn't have thought you'd be surprised." Sofia said. "I used guns when we were just the Nancy Streets Gang."

Oceana shrugged. "I know. I guess I have been a little on edge recently."

"We all have." Sofia said. "The whole team's been a little on edge ever since we fought the Hobgoblin. Steve's been panicking about reinforcements, Leo's getting all antsy and making Coyote think he was poisoned, Chance and Angel have been withdrawn…"

"Well come on then." Daredevil said. "Let's go tell everybody about our lead. Maybe it'll cheer them up."

* * *

Ben was in the Danger room, practicing. "I think you've destroyed enough practice dummies Ben." The old man said over the radio. "Pack it in. If Sofia and Oceana have anything for us, it'll be a big day tomorrow."

Ben stomped out of the danger room, maneuvering his bulky suit through the door. "Hey Ben." Cho greeted him. "Great job, a nine point four."

"Thanks." He grunted, taking his heavy mask off.

"Are you okay man?" Cho asked as they walked down the hall. "You were pretty vicious in there."

Ben grunted. "Awe, it's just cabin fever. So far, I haven't done anything yet. I couldn't get in the building to fight the Hobgoblin with you guys, and when he came out I didn't get a shot in. And then the Juggernaut completely crushed me. What's the point of being an Avenger if I can't get in any decent avenging?"

"You'll get your chance." Cho said, patting his metallic suit's arm. "You know… I've always believed in destiny. That our fates were sort of… written in the stars. And I may not be the best sorcerer supreme in the world, I can sense a great destiny for you."

Ben smiled. "I kind of felt it too… destiny, I mean. When I put on this suit, it felt better then the others. More… right." He sighed. "I'm still a little nervous though. We're not even out of high-school and we just stumbled into this opportunity."

Cho chuckled. "Like I said, we didn't stumble onto it, this is detiny." He held up his pouch of sand. "I am the Sandman, the Sorcerer Supreme, master of illusions. That's my destiny. Your destiny might not be clear yet, but I know one thing. It's here with the Avengers."

He grinned. "And with you best buddie." He and Cho fist bumped. "You were pretty awesome by the way." He said. "When you finished the fight with the X-men."

"It was nothing." Cho shrugged. "Magic is just knowing the rules of nature so you can enter in the cheat codes."

"If it's that simple, why do you use sand?" Ben asked.

Cho grimaced. "Well, if we continue with the Cheat codes analogy, each wizard has different codes they can enter naturally. I can learn different codes all the time, but I'm the most familiar with spells involving perception and illusion, and it takes less energy to do them when I'm channeling the magical energy through sand. More difficult through, say, water."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "That's… straightforward of you." He said. "You're don't usually talk much about magic."

"Well I –" Cho stopped. "Something's wrong."

"What?"

"I – I sense trouble."

* * *

The Green Goblin walked out of the walls, followed by the Hood. "You've memorized the layout?" Hood asked.

"I was the best there was at doing this sort of stuff while you were still robbing convenience stores for pennies." The Goblin cackled. "Yeah, I know where I am."

The Hood rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll go place the charges. But before I do, if I could make a suggestion…"

"Is this part of your scheme to undermine Doom?" The Goblin asked.

The Hood paled.

The Green Goblin cackled wildly. "Oh don't be so shocked, backstabbing is in our nature. After that display you put on I bet he knows it's going to happen to. It's okay to tell me, I won't interfere. I just want to be in the know for when your plan crashes and burns."

"Well… okay… so, you know how Doom wanted you to take one of them back to him? Could you possibly take the Sandman?"

The Green Goblin thought about it. "That's a pretty big favor. He's the sorcerer supreme after all."

"But I just found out his powers don't work in water."

The Green Goblin smiled. "I can work with that. Is there a source of water nearby?"

"There's a pool on the gym floor." The Hood said. "I can fill it up."

"You do that." The Green Goblin said. "And you take care of those charges."

* * *

Ben put his helmet on and scanned the area. "There's somebody in the base." He said. "He's tall and… he's standing on a glider."

"The Hobgoblin." Cho breathed. "I'll warn the others, go stop whatever he's doing!"

Cho ran down the corridor, and Ben scanned the wall separating him and the Hobgoblin. It had no essential wires so – he charged through, catching the Hobgoblin in stomach and pinning him against the wall.

"You thought you could sneak into our home and get away with it huh?"Ben growled. "Well bad news gobby it's –" He froze.

It wasn't the Hobgoblin. He had the same weapons and armor, but he hadn't been able to see the costume's color on his scanners. Instead of orange and blue, it was green and purple. The hood was gone, replaced with a purple cap that would have looked ridiculous on anybody else, but frightening on him. After their encounter with the Hobgoblin, the old man had showed them a file of him, incidentally.

Ben was holding the Green Goblin against the wall.

"Good new for me, bad news for you." The goblin cackled. He slithered out of Ben's grip, bringing up his sword and slicing the vulnerable parts in Ben's armor. "I've always like sucking the meat out of my shellfish. Come out come out!"

"No!" Ben managed to grab him, and he lifted him over his head. Then he powered his thrusters, shooting through the ceiling and into the gym complex, Goblin first.

He plowed through the floor, and the Green Goblin rolled away, covered with rubble from being plowed through three roofs. "Ooooh, nice try!" He cackled. "But second place doesn't get you an island in the Mediterranean."

The alarms began to go off. "Hmmm… looks like the party's getting started early. Oh well, I've got party favors for everybody." His glider flew up behind Ben and knocked him down.

"How are you even still standing?" Ben asked, getting up. "After yesterday…"

The goblin cackled. "Once, I got impaled on my own glider sonny. It'll take more than a couple of gunshot wounds and a bowling ball to the head to get rid of this goblin."

"You're not the Hobgoblin."

"Oh, give the man a prize!" The Green Goblin cackled. "Of course I'm not! The Hobgoblin was a chump! I'm the Green Goblin!"

"But… the old man said you'd died. He said you'd tried to bargain with Doom…"

"Boy are you slow." The Green Goblin chuckled. "Do I look dead to you? I dress up like the Hobgoblin, so any new or surviving hero would think I'm a chump. When people underestimate me, they get sloppy. I tricked the Chameleon into pretending to be me. He was going to join forces with the good guys like all the other heroes did during the purge, but he was going to switch sides." The Green Goblin giggled. "The fool actually thought I'd keep my end of the bargain and let him join. Now, everybody thinks I'm dead until it's too late. Like it is for you."

"You're insane." Ben gitted his teeth and charged. "How'd you find us?"

"Easy." Green Goblin dodged. "I didn't. But I do have very powerful and very connected friends who did. I just asked to play with you first."

"Well I have better toys than you!" Ben yelled, firing his energy weapons.

The Green Goblin danced through the air, reflecting the blasts off his sword. "Whatever gets you through the night kid." The Goblin said. "By the way, haven't you noticed where you were going while you were attacking me?"

Ben stopped and looked in his cameras. He was in front of the deep end of the pool. It was full.

"I took the liberty of cleaning up the swimming area." The Green Goblin said, tossing a pumpkin bomb at Ben. It exploded, and electricity crackled around his suits, and electro-magnetic pulse short circuiting his systems. Everything went dark for a while. And then the Green Goblin took his helmet off.

"Oh you poor poor chuimp." He grinned. "Weapon design is my business. I only have the best toys, and I know how to use them. Now, your friends are going to be here any second, so why don't you relax? Take a dip?"

The Green Goblin pushed, and Ben – frozen in his heavy metal suit – sank into the pool.

"Nooooo!"

The Green Goblin turned. The Avengers were running up to him. "Awe, weak." He said. "You're not even all here. I got my good costume on, and I actually want to break a sweat here!"

Captain America and Chance charged him, while Wolverine and the Sandman dove around either side of him into the pool after Ben.

Ben struggled in the water, trying to get out of his suit, but he was frozen. Only his head could move, squirming around for air. He saw Cho and Leo dive into the water after him as his suit clunked into the bottom of the pool.

Cho tried to perform spells underwater. He was unable to speak, having to resort to slow hand movements, and the water insulated his magic considerably. Leo drew his claws and tried to slice him out of his suit. Unfortunately, his suit was the sturdiest there was. It was tough going even through most of the metals, vibranium, carbonadium, but even his claws couldn't slice through the adamantium parts of his armor.

Ben saw the world above the pool's water explode into flame, and he dimly heard the sounds of fighting outside of the silence of the water. He struggled, fighting against drowning as best as he could. Leo and Cho got an arm free each, and he quickly tried to undo his chest plate. As he undid the last clasp on his breastplate, he couldn't fight any more.

The world faded into black, water filling him, coming in through his throat and nose. He closed his eyes, the noise faded, and he blacked out.

Cho and Leo exploded out of the water, dragging Ben behind them. On the edge of the pool, Chance and his sister were out cold, and Cap was breathing heavily. With a final kick, he sent Cap spinning away, and then only had Alex to fight.

"You know, you I don't want to fight." He said.

"Nobody likes a coward." Deadpool said, swinging Excalibur. "So pucker up and kiss my bat you green creep."

"Oh would you just put down your bat?" Goblin said. "Listen, I can cut you a deal. You and your sister can join me and Doom."

Alex paused. "How did you know about my sister?"

"Oh, easily. I couldn't quite figure out who she was the first time I fought her, but I puzzled it out. And now that I know what to look for, I can recognize your style as well. I recognized your fighting styles. You're Troy's kids, Alex and Sofia."

"… I'm sorry but how did you recognize us again?" Deadpool asked.

He pulled off his mask. "Alex, I am your uncle!"

Deadpool dropped his bat. "That's not true! That's impossible!"

"Seriously, I just took off my mask. You know it's me."

"Noooooo!"

"…Or, you're just doing a Star Wars impersonation."

"Yeah, how was it? I think the big no might have been a little over the top."

"Don't worry about it. So, what do you say? Join me? Kill Doom and take over? Practically rule the world? Do anything you want for the sake of doing anything you want?"

"I'm doing that right now. I want to be a superhero, and I want to punch you in the face, therefore –" His fist connected, catching the Green Goblin off guard. "Me and Sofia never really liked you that much Uncle Norm. You're creepy. And your hair doesn't win you any brownie points either. Oh, also you keep beating up my friends. So, you know… if it's all the same to you, I'm going to keep hitting you with various sports implements."

The Green Goblin pulled his mask back on. "You know what? I don't care. I just thought I'd give it a shot." He pulled out a big red button. "But you know, we could have mad a great team."

He pressed the button.

The ground shook as the charges in the lower levels went off. "Ta-ta Avengers!" He cackled. "It's been a blast!"

The bombs on the upper levels went off, and the whole gym collapsed in on them, burying them in rubble. As he flew out, The Green Goblin dove down and grabbed Cho, knocking him unconscious and flying out of the collapsing building.

* * *

The old man shifted through the rubble, with Scarlet Spider, Daredevil, and Gwen. He'd escaped with Gwen through their headquarters' back tunnel before it exploded and the girls had arrived just after the event. They were digging furiously, trying to get their friends out before the fire trucks arrived.

"I've found some of them!" Scarlet Spider called. The other two moved towards her, and they helped pull Leo and Ben out of the debris.

"Are you okay Leo?" Daredevil asked.

"No." He winced. "He got him. He got Ben."

The old man's eyes widened. "Oh no…"

Next to him, Ben was a lifeless corpse.

Something exploded out of the rubble. The team turned as Chance, Marie, and Deadpool hovered out of the pile of rubble, in the middle of an orb of electrical energy and psychic power. "Is everybody okay?" Chance asked as they fell to the ground.

"Where's Steve?" The old man asked, panicked.

Chance lowered his head. "I… don't think he made it."

Daredevil gasped.

After a moment of silence Deadpool took off his mask and smiled. "Well, I know three things." He said. "First, ice cream is delicious, and I want some. Second, the Hobgoblin, through a bizarre turn of events, is actually the Green Goblin, who is not dead, and who is our godfather Uncle Norm Sofia."

"Wait, what?" She asked.

"And third, we are going to find him, and we are going to hit him on the head, and we are going to make him listen to Aqua's Barbie Girl until his brains leak out of his ears, and we are going to shove something very large, and very spiky up his rear end, and we are going to make him cry like a little girl, and we are going to cut his heart out with a spoon, and we are going to make him drink tar… and… and…" At this point Alex had a crazed look in his eyes, and Sofia moved next to him and but her arm around him.

"I know Alex. I know. We will avenge Steve."

"No." The old man said.

"Wait, what?" Deadpool asked. "But things are just getting interesting."

"No, they aren't" The old man snarled. "They've just gotten worse. Jubilee told me this was a bad idea. Now look at us. We're two men down. Who was I kidding." He sat down. "You guys aren't Avengers."

"Excuse me?" Scarlet Spider asked.

"What about all of our training?" Daredevil asked.

"Well… you all can still train if you like. You can still try to be heroes if you have a death wish. But count me out. I knew this was impulsive. I always trusted my instincts when I was a hero… but now…"

Wolverine moved to comfort Daredevil. Chance and Angel exchanged worried looks. Gwen began to cry. Deadpool scoffed, and he and Scarlet Spider began to walk away.

"No." The rubble shifted, and Captain America rose out of the debris.

"You're alright!" Gwen yelled, running towards him.

"Of course he is!" Deadpool smiled. "He's the hero and the hero never dies in a collapsing building."

"Are you all right Cap?" Leo asked.

"No." Cap said. "One of us is dead. Ben is dead. And Cho has been kidnapped. And we're talking about quitting. So no. Just, no. We're the Avengers, so let's do some Avenging. Sofia, did you get that lead?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Then we'll follow it. We'll follow it to the end of the world. We'll find the Green Goblin. And we will bring Cho back."

"You're not ready." The old man said. "We need to –"

"No!" Cap yelled. "No more training. No more waiting. No. More. Hiding. We set out to do something, and we are going to do it. We are not going to run from S.H.I.E.L.D. we are not going to hide from Doom. We are not going to abandon Cho to that maniac! We are going to storm their castle, bring their kingdoms crashing down around their heads, and we are going to make them remember the Avengers!"

_"AVENGERS! ASSEMBLE! THIS! ENDS! TONIGHT!"_


	7. Chpt 7 Daredevil brings down a Kingpin

**_Chapter Seven; In Which Daredevil Brings Down A Kingpin _**

_(And how! I mean seriously, wow!)_

_Yield not to evils, but attack all the more boldly._

_**Virgil**_

Tomorrow tower was on 721, fifth avenue new York. It was the second tallest building in New York, built on the ruins of a mansion the Stark family used to own, with four earthquake-proof sub-basements. It housed several stories of jewelry manufacturers, diamond cutters, and gold workers. It had three large vaults installed in different spots in the building, and the tightest security network known to man.

Which is why the Avengers brought a mutant thief along.

Chance looked over the building with his electronic vision. From his hiding spot with the others in an alley across the street he could see the layout of the whole building. "Okay, I can disable most of the electronic alarms no problem, and I'll turn off anything else so you'll have an easier time. But I'm sensing some armed guards in there, so you'll have to work fast or one of them will send out an alarm."

"You're not coming with us?" Wolverine asked.

Chance kept his poker face up. "No. Angel and I are headed back home. If the old man says we're outgunned, I'm going to listen to him."

"What?" Wolverine asked, incredulous. "You can't just –"

"He can go if he wants to." Captain America said. "I agree. This is a suicide mission."

"Than why are you doing this?" Chance asked. "You must see this is pointless Captain…" He withered under Cap's glare.

"We're doing this because a friend of ours might still be alive."

Chance looked down, apparently suddenly interested in his shoes.

"If they're not coming, you guys'll probably need some back-up." Gwen said.

"No." Captain America said, sternly. "If we die here, we'll need somebody to stay alive and keep fighting the good fight." He stood up straight, the others copying him. "Do your thing Chance. It's now or never. Avengers! Assemble!"

Chance held out his hands as the last of the Avengers charged into the street. The alarms in the building flickered off, dead, followed by the cameras, then the vault locks, then the lights. "What the –" one of the guards in the lobby stuttered as the lights went out. He was confused for a second, then he realized this might be trouble, and suddenly became aware of the noise from outside. He looked out the window to see the Avengers jumping over the traffic.

"Holy –" he drew his sidearm in a panicked move, spilling his hot coffee over his shoes. The other guards turned and drew their weapons too as Captain America flew through the doors, glass flying everywhere. The guards were too shocked to fire immediately, and Cap used it to his advantage. He slid his shield down his arm just like he'd practiced, until he was holding it by two fingers. Then, spinning it like a discus he threw it at the guard at an angle that he hoped would hit them all before they got a shot off. The shield hit the three guards in the chin, just like he'd practiced. The fourth guard doubled over as it flew into his guts. Captain America crossed his fingers. The shield crossed paths with the fifth guard's head, knocking him out instantly. Then it knocked the gun out of the sixth guard's hand, ricocheted off the wall and hit him in the side, cracking a few ribs before flying back to Captain America's hand. He smiled and turned to the alley, giving a thumbs up.

"That's our cue to go." Chance said, turning and leaving down the alley. Angel hesitated, then followed him away. Gwen waved back at Captain America from across the street.

"Break a leg." She whispered.

The Avengers walked through the lobby, casting shadows in front of them from the lights outside. One guard wasn't quite out, and scrambled wildly for his radio, but Deadpool skipped over and yelled "Fore!" hitting him in the head with a nine-iron.

"What do you think Cap'n?" Scarlet Spider asked. "Do we take the stairs and fight through a hundred stories of security guards, or do we ascend the elevator shaft, Matrix-style?"

"I vote we disguise ourselves as these security guards." Deadpool piped in. "We will blend in, likening ourselves unto ninjas. And then Uncle Norm's death shall be swift and silent as the wind."

"No Deadpool." Captain America said. "We're taking the stairs."

"No permanent damage to them." Wolverined said, examining the unconscious guards. "Well, maybe some pshycological damage from the one Deadpool is stripping."

"It was good enough for Han Solo, it's good enough for me." Deadpool declared, buttoning up a loose fitting guard's uniform over his trenchcoat.

"Okay, Deadpool, just follow us once you've done… 'disguising' yourself. And don't take your mask off." Captain America lead the team up the stairs.

* * *

Mr. Hyde stood behind his desk, looking out over the city. "Hood?" He asked the empty room. Parker Robbins emerged from the shadows, his cloak trailing behind him.

"The power is out. What did you do?"

"Nothing Hyde." Parker said. "I could restore the power with a snap of my fingers, but then the group of costumed individuals who just crashed through the lobby doors would know we know they're here."

Hyde chuckled. "I assume you're going to go and utterly destroy them now?"

"Of course. They wrecked my building."

"I'd rather you didn't."

The Hood paled before regaining his composure. "And what, pray tell, would you want me to do?"

"Bring them to me." Hyde said.

"You're being reckless. I could decimate them without breaking a sweat."

"And you're being boring." Hyde sneered. "They've got guts. We could add them to our payroll. Do they have any powers?"

The Hood's cloak swirled in a nonexistent wind. "No."

"Then they are no threat to me. Bring them up. But… give them a show first. Ruffle them up a little."

"You're not the one calling the shots here." Hood reminded him.

"I think you'll find that I am." Hyde grinned his wicked grin. "I am the Kingpin of crime after all."

"We agreed on that because you could take more damage as a target."

"And because you're a coward." Hyde scoffed. "Now go and scare them, and remember to leave them unharmed if you know what's good for you."

The Hood left in a bad mood.

* * *

The Avengers were at the fortieth floor when the stairwell shook. "What was that?" Leo asked.

Captain America looked down. "That's the stairs disappearing."

The others looked up, and saw what he saw; the stairs at the bottom of the stairwell were collapsing in on themselves, and slowly working their way up.

"This is like a dream of mine." Deadpool mused. "Lisa Bianchi from ninth grade will come out any minute now in a panda costume and I'll have to save her from goblins. You guys might want to stand back, it'll be messy."

"Run!" Captain America yelled, and the Avengers rushed up the stairs as they fell away behind them, slowly catching up. Cap looked back and realized the stairs were falling right at Wolverine's heels. "Scalert! Web!" Scarlet Spider shoot a strand of web at the ceiling, and Cap made a jump for it. He slid down the thread quickly, just as Wolverine fell off the stairs. Cap caught him just before he began screaming.

"Everybody grab on!" He yelled. They all jumped for the strand of webbing and hung there as the stairs collapsed around them.

"Captain!" Scarlet Spider yelled. "It won't take long for it to reach the web!" The collapsing staircases were making their way to the railing that the other end of her web was attached to.

"Wolverine, swing to that door." He ordered. The two of them started swinging back and forth.

"Hurry!" Daredevil yelled.

"You know, really, being eaten by a stairwell isn't such a bad death." Deadpool said. "It has an air of… mystery. Hey, who else would really dig a pizza right now?"

Captain America and Wolverine kicked open the door and fell inside, just as the railing fell. Everybody fell down, clutching the rope as the two of them heaved, bringing them tumbling into the floor in a pile.

Captain America gasped for breath underneath them all. "Okay, it's going to be tougher getting to the top floor than I thought…" He began to say, when another door opened to his right. A security guard came out, and dropped his keys in shock.

"I'll handle this one guys." Deadpool said before anybody could react. He sidled up to the guard and put his arm around him "Hey buddy. What a fine night for a pair of security guards, like ourselves, to be guarding the security. What a fine night indeed, for I am also a security guard, as you can clearly see by my uniform, and name-badge which reads… uh…" he took off the badge. "Paul… Rocheshimner… Rotchimimim…. Rocthiem… Ah… Bob. It reads Bob. Paul Bob. Most of these letters are silent.

"Uh…" The guard looked Deadpool up and down in disbelief, at the trench coat flowing out from underneath his uniform, the golf bag on his back loaded with sports equipment, and the red mask with the black dot around one eye.

"Ah yes. As you can see… my friends and I are attending a costume party. For we are surely not heroes intent on bringing down the criminal overlord who lives in this building. That would be sheer lunacy."

"Yeah, I guess it would." The guard said, happy with an explanation that made sense.

"And surely, even if we were superheroes, your boss wouldn't be paying you enough to deal with us."

"You got that right, the old miser." The guard said. "If you were superheroes, I would probably tell you that there's a service entrance down the hall and to the left where some of his less reputable clients come in so as not to be seen that superheroes could probably use not be seen too."

"Yeah, wink winknudge nudge huh?" Deadpool chuckled. "It's a good thing that we aren't superheroes or anything. Just regular old party goers. Now be on your way fellow night watchman."

"Yep. Good luck at your 'party' Paul Bob." The night guard walked away through another door, chuckling to himself.

"Well, now we have a way up." Captain America said, brushing himself off.

"I told you my disguise would work." Deadpool said. "I have mad disguising skills. I can make a ninja weep of jealousy, before he dies by my cunningly concealed hand."

* * *

The Hood walked out of the wall. "I've demonstrated my power, and they remain unperturbed. They're headed up right now. By the way, we're going to have to kill one of our late night guards. He's either too stupid to live or he's faking it to try to mask his betrayal."

"Huh. I'll take it from here Hood. Go hide in a corner or something."

The Hood disappeared into the walls, with a glare. Mr. Hyde took a deep breath and took off his jacket. He unbuttoned his cufflinks, placing them on his desk, and rolled up his sleeves. He stood there, facing the door, ready for a fight. He smiled. It had been a long time since he'd fought a hero. First he was going to offer them some small glimmer of hope. A job in his criminal empire. Then, he was going to kill them, whether they took the job or not.

* * *

Captain America led them into the room. They found Mr. Hyde waiting for them. "Well hello." He growled. "I've been waiting for you. Heard a lot about you. Care for a glass of wine?" He gestured to the rare bottle sitting on his desk.

The Avengers advanced into the room warily. "No thanks."

"Ah, of course, where are my manners." Hyde smiled. "You're not a man for pleasantries. Straight to business. I like that." He walked around to his desk and picked up the other thing lying on it. "This is a contract for your services. You've managed to last in a fight against Osborn. Congrats. I need men like you on the streets, fighting the good fight. That is to say, the bad fight. Whichever you prefer. What do you say?"

"Where is Sandman?"

"Sandman?" Hyde scratched his chin. "Ah, yes, the magic user Osborn was ranting about. A friend of yours? Well, I wouldn't know. He's not with you?"

"You're in league with the Goblin." Cap said. "You know where he took him."

"Ah, you've come here, storming my castle, hoping you'll find him and free him? Or, barring that, you're going to try and pummel the answers out of me?" His smile broadened. "I like that. I like that a lot." He strolled around to the other side of his desk, leisurely. "I'm only sharing Mr. Goblin young man. He does the occasional job, every once in a while, but his real occupation is with S.H.I.E.L.D." He popped the cork and poured the wine into a flute. "I only ordered him to reinforce Yancy street. He went after Gwen as part of his job. If he's done anything else recently, it's not on me." He took a sip. "I could probably call in a favor from Doom. If you were to work for me. What do you say?"

"No deal." Cap said angrily. He nodded and Daredevil took out a tape recorder. "Now that we have a confession, we're making a citizen's arrest."

Hyde sighed and drank the wine. "Well… I can't say I wasn't looking forward to this." He smirked. He grabbed the bottle of wine and threw it at Deadpool. Scarlet shot it out of the air before it connected, splashing wine and broken glass over him, then she turned her guns to Hyde as the rest of the Avengers charged. He ducked out of the way, the bullets creating spiderweb cracks in the glass behind him.

He picked up his desk, an eighteenth century piece made of solid mahogany, and spun it around like a discuss at Scarlet. She leaped over it, and when she landed he was there, fists swinging. His punch connected, and she was knocked back so hard the drywall covered the steel walls behind it crumbled around her.

"Who else wants some?" He laughed, diving into the Avengers. His fist made a crater in the floor where Captain America used to stand. He Laughed and blocked a swing from Deadpool with a hockey stick and grabbed the golf bag. He tore it from his shoulders, flinging Deadpool into the wall as he did so, then began throwing its contents at Captain America. He managed to block a croquet mallet, but the recoil felt like he was blocking a car. Hyde had a throwing arm. He dodged the next one, a nine iron which embedded itself into the wall. Hyde took an enormous fistful of golf club out of a pocket and threw them. Cap blocked most of them, but one hit him in the leg and he cried out as if he'd been shot.

Hyde threw the bag itself at him, then picked up a shuffleboard stick and swung it around, and with a crack he knocked Wolverine out before he attacked him with his claws. He grabbed Wolverine, and brought his arms up, stabbing at the ceiling with his claws. Wolverine hung there, helpless.

Hyde laughed, and swung his fist around at Deadpool. He grabbed him, and shoved his head underneath the coffeemaker on his wall, turning it up to its highest setting. Deadpool screamed as hot coffee poured over his face and through his mask.

Hyde's laughter reached full swing, becoming a roar. He turned to Daredevil with a wild crazed look in his eyes. She'd been attacking him the entire time, to little effect. He grabbed her billy club and yanked it towards him, pulling her close. He tore it from her fingers and tossed her away. He spun it around, and brought it down on Captain America's face, finally knocking him out mid charge.

"Honestly, I was looking for a fight." He said nonchalantly, grabbing Daredevil by the throat. "I miss the good old days, where you could just do evil things for the heck of it, and they'd reward you with a good fight. Ah, I remember the days I sat in my jail cell, remembering the hero's glorious fists against my face, my chest…" He sighed wistfully. "I haven't fought a good hero in so long. I've been so lonely." He smiled morbidly, wickedly.

"But now I'll have you to keep me company." He sat her down in his chair and leaned in close to her, the smell of wine coming off his rancid breath. "Struggle." He commanded in a whisper.

"Leave her alone!" Wolverine yelled, trying to get his claws free.

"I'll get to you soon enough!" Hyde laughed, picking up his footstool and throwing it at him, dislodging him from the ceiling but knocking him unconscious at the same time. "Now where were we?" He asked Daredevil, breathing heavily. She struggled under his grip, hitting at his fist. "Hmmm… something's not quite right… ah yes!" He reached over and punched his window, sending glass falling to the ground far below. "You're not really Daredevil. But I'm about to solve the big difference between the two of you." He picked up two very large shards of glass.

"The real Daredevil was blind."

"No! No!" Daredevil screamed as Hyde stabbed the two shards down into her eyes. She felt the glasss searing into her eyes, and the pain was so terrible that she didn't even notice as the world went black.

"Oh yeah, you like that don't you?" Hyde chuckled. "You wanted to be like Daredevil, didn't you?"

"Leave…" She heard Wolverine coughing blood. "Leave her… alone… you monster…"

"Oh shut up, you're next!" She heard the sound of a slap. She winced, and stopped crying.

"Oh, I didn't mean you." Hyde turned his attentions back to Daredevil. "You can make all the noises you want." He laughed viciously.

She began making little choking noises. "What's that? You have something to say? Do you want to beg for mercy?" He leaned in close to her. "Come on, tell me. What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

She smiled. "Struggle." She whispered, and she head butted him. His eyes widened in surprise as his eyes came closer to his, large pieces of glass still sticking out of her eyes. Then her head connected with his, and the glass embedded themselves in his eyes.

With a howl of pain he recoiled, letting go of her. But she wasn't finished. He listened to his howls and got out of the chair, running at him. "You stabbed my eyes!" He yelled. "You stabbed me In my #*%$*!# eyes!" She grabbed his ears, pulling at his head, steering him towards the window. "I'll kill you!" He yelled charging. "I'll kill you, you biiiiiiiiaaaaaa!" He screamed, falling out of the window dragging her with him.

He fell through the air, blindly. "Hood!" He yelled. "Hood! Help me! Save me! Do something!"

Time slowed down, and the Hood suddenly appeared in the air next to him. "You know, I think I will do something." He said, his smug grin carrying into his voice. "I think I'll 'go hide in a corner'. Have a nice fall." He disappeared into the air.

"Hood!" Hyde yelled, really panicked now. "Hood! Get back here you traitorous little weasel! Hoooooood!" Time sped back up again, and he fell the rest of the way down, screaming.

Daredevil felt the wind soar past her face, and his scream mixing with the sounds of New York, her home. She spread her arms like and eagle, falling gracefully. _How ironic._ She thought. _This all started because I'd tried to jump, and now, somebody had had to take me with him._ "Goodbye Leo." She whispered, falling to her death.


	8. Chpt 8 Wolverine Saves New York

**_Chapter Eight; In Which Wolverine Saves New York_**

_I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what._

_**Harper Lee**_

Gwen watched from an alley as a police car pulled up to the front of Tomorrow tower. Two officers got out, and examined the building.

"Well Spaulding?" The older officer asked.

"It looks like somebody is trying to rob the tower." Officer Spaulding said.

"No, if somebody wanted to rob the tower, we wouldn't know about it."

"But the electricity is down, and the guards are nowhere to be seen. Maybe we're dealing with incompetent thieves."

"You know what I find strange? There's glass on the outside, but glass on the inside too. If you're breaking in, you scatter glass on the inside, but how did the glass get on the outside?"

"I dunno McColin. Maybe somebody broke a window higher up." The two of them looked up.

"Well, you're right." McColin said. "That window on the top floor is shattered."

Officer Spaulding scratched his head. "I think we should call for back-up."

"Yeah, I think you're right." The older man started walking to his car.

"Wait, do you hear something?"

"What?"

"It sounds like screaming – look out!" Officer Spaulding grabbed his partner by the collar and tugged him back as Mr. Hyde fell on top of his police car, crushing it. The two police men stared at the giant corpse lying on the car, two large shards of glass sticking out of his eyes, with two eyeballs impaled on the other ends.

"Holy –" The older officer reached through the shattered window and grabbed the radio. "Attention all units! We have a break in and homicide at tomorrow tower! Repeat, we have a break in and a homicide at tomorrow tower, that's 721 fifth avenue, requesting immediate back up! Requesting immediate back up!"

"Look!" His partner pointed.

The older partner looked up. "Holy…"

Daredevil hung suspended in the air above them, arms spread out in an eagle dive. Above her, the Scarlet Spider hung on a web line from the building's top floor. The two of them were connected by a several strands of webbing that connected to Daredevil's head, neck, and major joints. The two of them swung lazily in the air, before somebody on the top floor began to pull them up.

"What… what was that? Was… was that Spider-girl or something?"

"I don't know, but I'm calling in more backup!"

* * *

Wolverine, Captain America and Deadpool all heaved, and brought Daredevil and Scarlet Spider up onto the ledge.

"Oh Oceana, thank goodness you're alright." He knelt down and cradled her in his arms, tears in his eyes. "Thank you Sofia, thank you."

"If you want to thank anybody, thank Spider-man." Scarlet Spider said. "I don't know why he installed this function on his web-shooters to catch falling people, but I'm sure glad he did."

Oceana began crying. "You caught me. I… I can't believe you caught me. I thought I was going to diiiiiiie."

"It's alright Oceana, I'm here." He said, holding her.

"Will she be able to see again?" Cap asked.

Wolverine shook his head. "The damage is too extensive. It can't be fixed."

"W-well… that's all right." Daredevil said. "As long as we're all alive, I can deal with that."

Captain America looked out over the window. "Police are coming. We should find out where Cho is and get out of here. Wolverine, what's the damage?"

He quickly looked over them. "Well, Daredevil's eyes got gouged out…"

"Ooh! Me! Do me!" Deadpool tore off his mask.

"Aaah." Wolverine winced. "Deadpool has a… really bad third degree. It probably cauterized some nerve endings. We're all pretty battered… I think Scarlet may have broken some of her ribs and… yeah, she's dislocated her shoulder in the fall. Here, let me..." She bit her tongue as he fixed her shoulder.

"So nothing life threatening?"Cap asked.

"No."

"Gouged out eyes aside, I think that went well." Deadpool smiled grotesquely. "We took out the Kingpin of crime in New York. I think this calls for a happy dance." He began to break into Swan Lake.

"As much as I enjoy the sentiment, the Kingpin is alive and well."

The Avengers all picked up their weapons and braced themselves. "Who's there?" Daredevil asked. "Who said that?"

The room's walls began to swirl, and folds of red fabric billowed out. Then, Parker Robbins stepped out, and old man with long white hair, steadying himself on a cane. "My name is the Hood." He said, as his cape fell into place behind him. "I'm the real Kingpin of crime. I just told that oaf he was so he'd feel important. And so he'd be the first target for assassination. That worked out well eh?" He gestured to the window. "And before you… 'try' to kill me, you should know, I know where your friend is."

The Avengers exchanged looks. "Tell us, or you'll follow your front man out the window."

The Hood laughed. "Patience child." He said, poking his cane in his direction. "Patience is a virtue. Patience is what Hyde lacked. Patience is the reason I didn't kill him years ago. Not until I had people like you in my building." He began to pace around the room, so nonchalantly he didn't even seem to notice the heroes ready to attack him in a moment's warning. "You see… Dr. Doom doesn't like magic users… such as myself. So, to keep me in line he utilized a powerful magical item. I am now confined to New York."

"There is a helicopter on a landing platform on the north side of this building. The thirtieth floor. I use it to see Doom, made completely out of parts of New York. Your friend the Wizard is in Doom's helicarrier. Just press autopilot. However… I will need something of you in return."

"Why should we help you?" Captain America asked.

The Hood nodded. "Touche, Steve, an excellent question. You see, since I am confined to New York, I know all about you. All of your secrets, all of your hiding places. And that's just the stick. As for the carrot… I've got a hostage."

His cape flowed into the floor and reached up out of the other side of the room, encircling Daredevil, trapping her in a web of red fabric, before dragging her into the floor. "Leo!" She yelled, and then she disappeared.

"No!" Wolverine tore into the ground with his claws, but Daredevil was gone.

"Oh relax." The Hood laughed. "What good is a blind girl in a fight against Dr. Doom anyway? You bring the Sandman back. When he finds a way to release me from my confinement, I'll return her. She'll come to no harm. Cross my heart." He began to fade back into the wall.

"Come back here!" Wolverine rushed across the room, plowing into the Hood, the two of them tumbling into the wall.

"Leo!" Cap yelled, but he was gone.

* * *

S.W.A.T. unloaded from their vans at the base of the tower. Some officers stared at the corpse lying on top of the police cruisers, others just lined up, ready to go in. "Let's go people we have no idea what could be in there!" the police commissioner ordered his underlings around.

"Wow, what a first assignment huh?" Officer Daniels asked her friend.

"I know." She responded. "If half the rumors are true, that's the Kingpin of New York's underworld lying on that car. I'm thinking we're about to see some gang war action."

"I hear that." Daniels nodded. "I'm gonna take a quick smoke."

"Don't be too long. I want to get this started." Officer Daniels ducked into an alleyway across from the Tomorrow tower. She looked it up and down, whistling in awe. She put a cigarette to her mouth and raised her lighter, when a loud clang rang through the alley and she collapsed.

"Those things will kill you." Gwen said, dropping the metal pole she'd found in the alley.

"Alright listen up!" The commissioner yelled. "We have an unknown situation here, so I don't want anybody being heroes! There are security guards on every floor, be careful not to hit them, or if they're already injured get them out of the way. First responders have claimed that the killers are…" He hesitated, and whispered to the man at his side. Then he turned and addressed S.W.A.T. again. "The killers are in costume."

"What type of costume sir?" His second asked.

"Well… one was dressed as a devil, and another…" He whispered to the man again. "Another was reported to have been wearing a Spider-girl costume."

"Sir…" The man at his side whispered to him. "Shouldn't we warn them about the spider-girl's web shooters?"

"The first responders were probably high or something." The commissioner said. "I'm not going to tell them they'll be up against comic book characters." He turned to the team. "Go get 'em boys!"

The S.W.A.T. team ran into the building, followed by an unnoticed Gwen Urich in officer Daniel's S.W.A.T. armor.

* * *

The first thing Wolverine felt were two crushing forces. One of them was evil, dark, arrogant. The other was strong, old, and sad. The two forces overwhelmed him, the darkness pouring through him, and the sadness ripping at his heart. He began to black out, then he stopped himself. Daredevil. He focused on her face, Oceana's face. And the Hood. The Hood threatened Oceana.

He stood up.

He was in the middle of New York. But it was strange. Different. Some of the buildings looked old, some crooked, and some shone. Pale ghosts walked through the streets, some stronger than others, and the cars flying by were all but invisible.

"Well, I'm surprised you tried to follow me, but I'm impressed you managed to stay awake." The Hood's voice echoed from every direction. "Your girlfriend just passed right out Leo."

"Show yourself you coward!" Wolverine yelled.

"Coward?" The voice chuckled. "Leo, leo, leo. What makes you think I'm afraid of you?" Suddenly New York turned blood red, and the Hood emerged from the ground, a colossal giant cloaked in New York itself. Wolverine charged, claws bared. The Hood sighed, and causally gestured. A taxi flew at him, knocking him back.

"I may have undersold myself back in the Tower." He snickered. "I'm not just trapped in New York… I'm bonded to it. For all intents and purposes, I am New York. I've been watching you Leo. I've been watching you ever since your little band caught my attention. And really, you've only fought two supervillains haven't you? Both of them with one fatal flaw… they think that just because you're new you're weak. They think their experience could save them. But even then, you lost against both villains. Only with your full team at your back could you fend them off. You're alone. A pacifist. In my arena, where I am nothing short of a god. This fight is so uneven, it's like stepping on a cockroach. And I don't think you're outmatched because I've fought superheroes before you were born; I know you're outmatched, because I own this world." With a sweep of his hand, the manhole cover he was standing on flew into the air. Wolverine leaped off of it before he collided with the wall.

"Still… I need the Sandman to free me. And you're going to help to rescue him, so…" He pointed at the open manhole. "There's your way back. Leave now."

Wolverine extended his claws. "I'm not leaving without her."

The Hood sighed. "Really, you are clueless. Even Hyde wouldn't find it funny." He snapped his fingers. "Well, I've got to get you down there somehow. I've been perusing your girlfriend's mind… would you like to meet Carlos?"

Something came out of nowhere and slashed at Wolverine's back. He turned, and saw a Spaniard in a gang bandana with a single bullet in his forehead. Behind him, a horde of zombies, all killed in the streets of New York crawled out of the walls and out of the sidewalk.

Wolverine growled, and charged.

* * *

Steve looked down the stairwell at the army of S.W.A.T. coming up. He retreated back into the penthouse. "Well guys, the stairs have grown back, and an army of heavily armed law enforcement agents are rapidly ascending them."

"That's it then." Scarlet Spider threw her hands in the air. "We're scrapped."

"Numbers don't win a fight." Cap said.

"Are you about to cite the Spartans at the battle of the Hot Gates for your reasoning? Because I'm pretty sure that didn't turn out so well."

"Actually, I was thinking about Simo Hayha."

"Still... there are a lot of people out there."

Captain America shook his head. "We came up those steps, not moments ago, ready to die because we weren't giving up on our friend. We took down a super strong monster crime lord! Doesn't that count for something?"

"_Daredevil_ took out the Kingpin, and she almost died doing it!" Scarlet yelled. "Now she's gone, and so is Wolverine. We've only ever had fights with one really tough, really evil guy. Now we've only got three Avengers left and we're supposed to fight a team of highly trained guys who are only doing their jobs? How are we supposed to do that?"

Captain America was silent for a moment. Then he raised his head. "I don't know." He admitted. "But you're right. They are only doing their jobs. Try not to hurt them too much." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

Deadpool finished sipping his cup of coffee, pulled his mask over his face, and picked up his bat. "I have Excalibur. They're outnumbered."

Cap shook his head. "We need a plan Deadpool."

Deadpool walked up to Cap and whispered; "Leeroy." Before moving towards the door.

"Who's Leeroy?" Scarlet Spider asked.

"According to Deadpool, a Leeroy is when a team takes too long to make a plan of attack so one guy just goes and –" Cap's eyes widened. "No! Don't do a Leeroy! Don't to a Leeroy!"

* * *

The zombies were not slow shambling brain eaters. They were fast, vicious, and didn't give up if you chopped them in the head. Imagine a swarm of hornets, each the size of a human, and Wolverine had to deal with three of them at a time, each making passes that were too fast to intercept unless they were anticipated. Wolverine's jacket was torn. His face bleeding from fingernail scratches. One rib broken. And he was struggling to keep awake, as he felt two forces pressing down on him.

The zombies kept a clear path to the manhole. He could run at any time.

Wolverine kept on fighting.

Suddenly, a zombie with one leg leaped out behind him. It grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him into the crowd.

"What? No! Give him back!" The Hood dug into the crowd, looking for Leo. "Give him back!"

Leo was suddenly on the roof of a building a mile away, watching the giant Hood in the distance. _I'm sorry for the abrupt exit._ The old British man behind him said_. But at least he can't see you. Not while you're with me._

"Who are you?" Leo asked, looking at the man. He was wearing a war uniform from the American Revolutionary war. He had one leg, supporting himself on an old crutch, and scars and gashes covered his body.

_Why, I'm New York._ The man smiled. _Or at least, an anthropomorphic figure representing New York's spirit, so your mind can understand me talking. Since, technichally, you are now inside of me. You are in New York's spirit._

"Are you okay?" Wolverine asked, eyeing the multiple wounds.

_No._ He said, frowning. _The Hood has taken control over me, and there's not a thing I can do to stop it. Look at me. I'm battered, pummeled, abused, and sick. I need help. Would you mind…_

"Well… I'm looking for my girlfriend. If you help me find her, I'll see what I can do to help you."

New York grinned_. I was hoping you'd say that._ He pointed towards the Empire State building. _Your lady friend is yonder. And at the tower's base, lies the chain that binds the Hood to me." _

"That's a long way away." Wolverine noted.

"_I cannot take you any further without him finding you."_

"Can you do anything else to help?"

_I can hide you from him as long as you don't make a scene. I will also try to protect you from being overwhelmed from being in our spirits for too long, but there is a danger you could fade into unconsciousness like the lady at any moment. As long as you're still conscious, you are your own person and you can only leave of your own will. But the second you fall asleep you belong to him and he can take you wherever he wishes, so you must act quickly._

Wolverine grimaced, and looked around for an idea. Then he looked over at a nearby construction site, and smiled. "I think I have a plan."

* * *

The S.W.A.T. field commander was the first to reach the top of the stairs. He held out his fist and everybody else slowed down behind him. He signaled, and two officers came forward carrying a battering ram. They began to move forward when three shots ran out.

They quickly fell back then stopped. The commander pointed. There were three bullet shaped holes in the door. One on the lock, and one on each hinge. With a creak, the doorway collapsed. The leader signaled and the S.W.A.T. team raised their shields. The lights were off beyond the doorway. It was nothing but a black void.

And then the laughter came.

"I am irony."

The S.W.A.T. team began to back away. "Stay steady men." The commander quietly told his troops.

"I am the moment just after you wake up, where you try to remember the rocking dream you had last night." Suddenly, a noise came from the room like an engine starting.

"Come out with your hands on your head!" The commander ordered, sweat running down his face.

"I! AM! DEADPOOL!" Deadpool flew out of the room like a mongoose out of its hole, Excalibur in one hand, a chainsaw in the other, laughing like a maniac. Time seemed to slow down for the S.W.A.T. team, as he descended down on them, one dramatic theme song away from a castoff from a superhero cartoon. Some tried to aim their guns and others began to pray. And then Deadpool was upon them.

They raised their shields with a yell, and sparks flew from where his chainsaw connected with them. "Psychological warfare is fun!" He laughed, striking out with his bat. "Hey Cap! Scarlet! Your turn!"

The two stood in the doorway. "Do you have any idea where he got that chainsaw?" Cap asked.

"I was about to ask you." Scarlet replied. "Do you think we should join him?"

"May as well make sure he doesn't seriously hurt anybody." The two of them ran in to join the fray.

* * *

The Hood stiffened, and turned. "There you are you runt." He snarled, looking over the skyline.

Wolverine was at the controls of a crane, driving across Queensboro bridge. Sweat ran down his face from the strain of staying conscious, and he headed down a long road straight for the bridge separating him from Manhattan Island. _He's seen you._ New York said_. I hope whatever you're planning works._

The Hood swooped in front of him, his cape trailing and swirling behind him, covering the Skyscrapers in red. "So… what do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"I'm charging you head on." Wolverine said.

The Hood chuckled. "You're going to try to ram into the Statue of Liberty with a crane?" The Hood laughed. "Oh, you really decided to put your faith in a gem New York! Really! This kid must be the Avenger's strategic genius!" He swooped ahead of him, down the road. "Well, I can think of one little flaw in your plan kid." He said. "I'm a god here." He reached down, and red tendrils snaked across the bridge, cracking the stone.

_Aaaaargh!_ New York screamed, as the bridge collapsed. Beneath the gaping hole was a black abyss.

"You're leaving my world." The Hood said. "Now."

The Crane sped forward, towards the chasm in the middle of the bridge. _If you fall in there, you won't be able to come back. _New York said.

"I'm not leaving without Oceana." Wolverine growled. He put a brick on the gas pedal and opened the door out of the crane. He got onto the ladder, and began to climb up… dragging a motorcycle behind him.

"What the –" The Hood watched as the Crane fell into the gap and Wolverine climbed onto the top. He revved the motorbike, and zoomed across the top of the crane as it fell into the water. "No way…" the Hood muttered, watching Wolverine jump off the front of the crane on his motorcycle, hitting the pavement on the other side. "No way!" He reached out, and the bridge crumbled behind him, but Wolverine was on dry land just ahead of the collapsing bridge.

The Hood chuckled grimly. "Okay, okay, I'll admit that was impressive." He flew after him, followed by an enormous tidal wave coming from the river. "But so is this." Wolverine looked behind him, and his eyes widened and he began to speed up. The Hood came up next to him easily, and the wave followed close behind.

"Listen, I get that you're mad!" The Hood yelled over the wind. "I get it! But calm down and listen to reason would you! I'll let your girlfriend go as soon as you save the Sandman and get him to set me free! I'll never bother you again, honest! Once I'm out of New York, I'll be weaker anyway! Would you just get out of here and go kill Doom!" A black hole opened up in front of Wolverine, and he swerved out of the way. "I know what you're trying to do!" He yelled. "New York told you how to set me free, and you want to do it so he can kill me. But you can't! I'm not even trying hard here. Once you've set me free, if you've annoyed me I'll have no reason not to cut loose on you. Hey! Pacifist! Are you listening to me?"

"Do you know what a pacifist is?" Wolverine asked. "It's not somebody who refuses to fight. Fighting is a part of life. Even Ghandi fought, in his own way, and he was as pacifist as it gets. A pacifist is somebody who acknowledges the value of human life, and always tries to find a non violent solution. A pacifist is somebody who refuses to kill, because they believe the human ability to change for the better. Well guess what? The value of your life? It's nonexistent. I wouldn't even call it human. You had decades to change, and you never did. You just used it to gather more power, which you used to abuse everybody weaker than you. You don't even know the joy of freedom; you don't want to leave New York because you want to be free, you want to leave New York because no matter what you've done you couldn't break it, and like any bully you're scared because it's fighting back and you want to run. You have no redeeming qualities. And you let a monster like Hyde run free. You let him go about his business as he pleased. You let him stab Oceana's eyes out."

"You deserve to die. And I'm not killing you because I'm angry at you for kidnapping my girlfriend. I mean, of course I'm angry at you, but I'm not the old Wolverine. I don't rush into things because I'm angry. If anything, I'm actually cooler under pressure. I am thinking rationally, and if anything that should scare you more than an angry Wolverine. Because you can't get me to calm down. You can't get me to back off. I know what I'm doing, and I will not stop until I have ended your life."

An involuntary shiver ran down the Hood's spine. "You know what? My bad. I underestimated you, just like Hyde did. I've humored you for long enough. This is my home turf, and I want you out." The Hood flew away, dragging the tidal wave with it, and it washed over Wolverine. The Hood turned and raised his hands, and the water flew up into the sky. A portal opened up and the water rushed through it, dragging Wolverine with it.

* * *

Bullets pinged off of Captain America's shield, ricocheting in every direction. "Either of you have a plan?" He asked. Deadpool and Scarlet were behind him, the three of them cornered.

"I'm out of wide shot web fluid." Scarlet said, reloading. "And I'm down to my last clip."

"I've still got a chainsaw." Deadpool said. "And Excalibur. And a toothbrush. And a gameboy. And that's it."

"So what now oh fearless leader?" Scarlet asked.

"Listen up!" The S.W.A.T. captain yelled as the bullets stopped temporarily. "Come out with your hands over your heads and we will not shoot you! Whoever you are, we do not want to shoot you! Tell us what you want."

"Escape plan three." Cap whispered.

"I can do that." Scarlet nodded. "But there are guns pointed at us. We need a distraction."

Suddenly, the wall opened up next to the captain and a flood of water rushed out. The S.W.A.T. team yelled in surprise, and fell down in the cascade of murky water.

_Well… let's not look a gift horse in the mouth._ "Now!" Cap jumped off of the stairwell, followed by Scarlet and Deadpool. Cap and Deadpool both grabbed onto Scarlet, and she shot out a strand of web fluid, swinging them onto the stairs lower down. They were on the thirty first floor. "Everybody inside." Cap said, as some of the S.W.A.T. members above them realized what was happening and began shooting wildly at them.

* * *

The portal closed and the water fell down. "Ha." The Hood chuckled grimly. "_You should be scared of me more than the old Wolverine." _He mimicked. Then he spat on the ground. "Just for that, I won't be giving Daredevil back once I'm freed. Nope. She can just stay here and rot for all I care. Should have taken my deal the first time. I –" He froze, and turned back to the lightly falling mist he'd made by the wave. A figure walked out of the shadows.

"Is that... it that all you've got... Mr. I-have-the-power-of-a-god?" Wolverine asked.

"Not… not possible." The Hood backed away, and realized they were at the base of the Empire State Building. "No… it's not possible."

"Not… probable…" Wolverine retorted, short of breath, and he ran towards him.

"No!" The Hood gestured, and a building tore itself out of the ground and launched itself at Wolverine.

Wolverine groaned as the building flew towards him, and jumped at the last second. He crashed through a window , running through the hallway as the building spun, fell through a door as somebody opened it, and crashed through a window on the other side. "I'm… not… impressed…" He grunted, and he kept on running toward the statue.

"No!" The Hood yelled, and he raised his hands and threw New York itself at Wolverine. He ducked mailboxes, sliced through lampposts, ran around, through, over, and under apartment buildings as they rolled down the street towards him. He slid under trees, jumped over taxis, crashed through windows, ran along flying park benches, and kept moving forward under a constant stream of debris. Hyde and several other dead supervillain's zombies came out and ran at him; he sliced through them without a thought. None of his sessions in the danger room could have prepared Wolverine for what he went through, but he had enough balance to stay on his feet and to keep moving forward.

New York's screams echoed through the air, and the street itself became uprooted, peeling itself off the ground and growing straight up, creating a gigantic wall. Wolverine tripped, and fell flat on his face. Then looked up, and with determination he began climbing the street, putting one claw in front of the other, until he was over. He fell onto a tree below him, and got out immediately as the branches started reaching for him. He ran towards the base of the Empire State Building, but the Hood appeared right in front of him and shot him in the shoulder. With a cry, Wolverine collapsed on the ground, struggling to keep conscious. "Son of a hellspawn… how are you not dead yet?" the roots of the trees in New York came alive, holding Wolverine up. "How in the pits of tartarus are you still breathing?"

Wolverine snarled, and thrust his claws at him. They came just short of beheading the Hood before a pair of branches whipped out and caught his wrists. "Oh no, you aren't killing me. And you aren't going to help your friends either." A pair of branches lashed out and hit across Wolverine's back like whips. "I am going to kill you now. You should have just accepted my offer."

"Not… likely…" Wolverine gasped, and he extended his claws again.

His claws weren't inside his skin like the original Wolverine's. They were in a special apparatus hidden inside his jacket specially designed to hold the claws. As they were, they weren't limited to just being the length of his arm; by pressing a button on his gloves, Wolverine could extend the claws to twice the length.

The Hood's head fell to the ground with a gasp and Wolverine tore out of the branches. He crawled his way to the chain surrounding the ground floor of the Empire State Building. The chain where a scrap of the Hood's cloak hung, just in front of the main entrance.

"No!" The Hood grabbed at his head, and then with a gesture wrapped the streets around Wolverine's legs. "You can't do this! I am a god! I am New York!"

"You're not New York." Wolverine grunted. "You're a disease." He raised his arm and cut down, slicing the chain holding the scrap of clothe to it. "And I'm your nurse."

The Hood fixed his head back on his shoulders, then started glowing. The chains glowed too, before they evaporated in a spray of multicolored magic. The Hood yelled, and exploded. When the light faded, he was just an old man again. His cloak was small and lackluster, his shoes weren't polished, his jacket was ruffled and moldy.

He yelled in fury, and took out a tarnished old gun. He walked over to Wolverine, collapsed, then got up again, picking up his cane. Wolverine glared at him, frozen in place, as he limped forward and pointed his gun at Wolverine's head, a crazed smile dancing on his lips. The he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw New York, a fresh gash in his head, and his arm in a cast, but he looked stronger than he had in a long while. _And I'm the treatment._ He said, swinging his good fist at the Hood.

* * *

The floor fell away, and Deadpool jumped though the hole he'd cut with his chainsaw. "All clear." He called, and Cap and Scarlet jumped down with him.

"There." Cap pointed. The helicopter sat right outside the door on a launchpad balcony. Strangely enough, the lower half of a crane was jutting out from the landing platform, but he'd worry about that later.

"Nobody move!" The three sighed, and turned slowly. A S.W.A.T. agent was behind them pointing a shotgun at their heads. A second was coming though the door.

"Now calm down…" Cap said.

"No, put your weapons down and keep your hands up!" The man yelled.

Then the second one pointed her gun at his head. "No." Gwen said quietly. "You put your weapon down."

He glanced behind him. "No, you put yours down. I can cap Spider-girl easy before you can pull the trigger."

"My name's the Scarlet Spider." She hissed, launching a strand of web fluid at his gun and pulling it out of his hands. He drew his sidearm, but Gwen pulled her gun back and hit him with it in the back of his head. He collapsed to the floor unconscious.

"I told you to wait outside." Cap said.

"I thought you might want some help once I saw a hundred armed men going in the same building you were." She said. "You're welcome."

"Whatever, let's just get to the chopper before whoever beat us there takes off." Scarlet said, pointing. The helicopter's blades were starting to spin.

They rushed out, and opened the chopper doors, pulling the pilot out. "Get away from me!" She yelled. "get away! Don't you know who I am? I'm the Kingpin's personal assistant! I can have your heads on platters for touching me!"

"Oh really?" Gwen and Cap shared a look.

* * *

The Empire State Building shook. Wolverine gasped in the elevator, trying to stay awake. The button dinged, and the door opened on the 86th floor. He stumbled out to the observation deck, overlooking the city. The Hood was fighting New York, both of them the size of the Statue of Liberty, each pushing each other into skyscrapers and pummeling each other with fists the size of a bus. Their fighting came close to crushing what little was left of the spirit of Manhattan. Wolverine looked up, and began climbing the rest of the way to where Daredevil was.

The Hood's cane swung viciously, but New York blocked with his crutch, and even got a few good hits in. "I…" The Hood swung his cane, drawing blood from New York's jaw. "I… have subjugated you for years…" New York disarmed him, and the Hood drew his guns. "I WILL NOT LET YOU BEAT ME!" He shot two giant bullets into New York's chest. He clutched at his heart, and staggered to the ground.

"And you…" He turned to Wolverine. "You brought this about." Wolverine was climbing… more like dragging himself up the final twenty two stories. One claw steadfastly pulling up, then another.

"Look at you, climbing up the tower to your damsel's rescue. It had been a long time since I've actually hated somebody… maybe a twinge of disgust for the ants I step on every day… but you have really gotten under my skin. Such a perfect idiot… I've read her mind you know. Do you know that you threw your life away for a girl that doesn't even love you?"

Wolverine faltered, crushed. "She… she does…"

"I beg to differ, and I've read her mind."

"She… told me… she does…"

The Hood snorted. "You're a pathetic fool lover boy."

Everything seemed to fade… Wolverine began to slip into unconsciousness. Then he heard New York's voice in his head;

_Who are you going to believe? Him, or her?_

He gritted his teeth, and the world focused itself again. He reached up, and clawed his way up to the top. As he pulled himself over the rail of the 102nd floor, he grunted four words. "I've… read… your… file…"

"What was that?" The Hood asked.

"I've read you're file." Wolverine said, standing up and cutting through Daredevil's chains. "And I'm glad I disgust you. I'm glad that I can say that I've given everything for love, and I'm glad that I can say I've gotten under your skin, even if it's the last thing I say."

"Shut up." The Hood shot at Wolverine, but he dodged out of the way, pulling Daredevil inside.

"You've only ever done anything through other people. You're first taste of power was from Dormammu, who's as much of a loser than you are, but at least he does his thing under his own steam. And then you surrounded yourself with all of the losers of the criminal worlds because the big shots couldn't be bothered to give you the time of day. And then, you somehow got yourself invited to the big boy's table, and when your power source got cut they managed to hook you up. And when the danger was past, you leeched off New York for your power. I don't think you let Hyde think he was the Kingpin because you wanted a fall guy – I think you were too scared to put Hyde in his place, so you just lecched off of his power too. I've never seen anybody go to such great lengths to get something I found simply by being a decent person."

"What?" The Hood snarled, blasting away at the building with his guns. "What did you ever get through luck that I had to work for?"

"Power!" Wolverine yelled. "Real power, not the stuff you steal from people bigger than you. You think power is being able to do what you want without consequence, but there will always be consequences! Always! I know this'll sound corny, but I have the power of love. It's what gives me the will to keep walking when your will wants me out of here. It's what gives me the strength to fight you. You were right." He stepped out onto the observation deck. "This'll be like stepping on a cockroach."

"You… you… SHUT UP!" The Hood held his guns up and fired at him. He jumped out of the way, off of the torch, and towards the ground.

"NEW YOOOOOOORK!" He yelled, and a fist reached out and grabbed him.

_I've got you Avenger._ It said. _Now, give him a good slice between his legs for me._

New York disappeared in a haze of light, and Wolverine touched the ground. And then he grew. He grew as tall as the statue of liberty, New York's flag shining from the back of his jacket, his eyes grew deep as the Hudson river, his boots changing, so they couldn't tell where they ended and where the streets began. The spirit of New York, shone inside Wolverine.

"Oh $#%" The Hood muttered, paling.

"And to think you used to kiss your mother with that mouth." The Hood raised an arm to shoot him, and Wolverine grabbed it and pulled. "I've just dislocated your right shoulder." He said. He caught the other gun as it came up, and squeezed. "And broken twenty-three bones in your hand." He ignored the Hood's screams, and sliced down. "And amputated your genitals. Compliments of New York." Then he sliced three more times, slashing his throat and crossing his heart. "Five cut ribs, your lungs are deflated, and if you have a heart you're bleeding out of it. your esophagus is diced and your vocal cords irreparable." He kicked him in the sternum and held his claws to his throat.

"Yeah, I'm in love. Yeah, I'm a pacifist. And bub, you better believe that I am Wolverine. Now go to hell, and don't come back." He pulled his arm across, and Parker Robbin's head rolled into the streets, before shrinking and withering, and finally evaporating into ash.

Wolverine sighed and began to get small again. Eventually, he was back on the collapsed bridge, his girlfriend in his arms and the anthropomorphic form of New York at his side. "Will she be okay?" He asked.

_Just fine. _New York said.

"Will you?"

New York smiled. _Please. You aren't the first Avengers to make their base here. I've survived a hell of a lot worse, sometimes literally._

Wolverine smiled. "Well, thanks for the help back there."

_No no. _New York smiled. _Thank you. For the first time in a long, long while, I can feel the wind blowing through my skyscrapers, the steady beat of feet on pavement, the soothing ruckus of a traffic jam. _He reached down with his good hand, and pulled the crane out of the water like it weighed as much as a baby. _It will take a while to fix myself up, but words cannot express my thanks._

"Well I guess I'll be going then." Wolverine said.

_Yes. Good luck Wolverine. And if I may say so; there have been many different Avengers over the years. Some better than others. But as for your team, well, you'll be one of the ones that last a good long while. I'm the spirit of New York; I'm all about change for the better. Don't let anybody get you down about not being _the_ Avengers. As far as I'm concerned, you're an Avenger through and through._

"Thanks New York." Wolverine said, waving goodbye before jumping into the water.

_Remember Wolverine; You made it here! You can make it anywhere!_

* * *

"Do we have an understanding?" Scarlet Spider asked. Sarah, the Kingpin's secretary, nodded in mute horror.

The door to the landing platform burst open, and two canisters of tear gas flew out. Captain America caught them and threw them back, before he began to cough and choke.

Deadpool got into the chopper, and Scarlet Spider held one of her guns to Gwen's head. "Nobody shoot, or I blow your friend's brains out!"

"What are you doing?" Gwen whispered.

"I'm trying to maintain your cover so Cap's plan will work." Scarlet whispered back. "Relax, I'm out of bullets."

"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asked.

"Put down your weapon and let the hostages go!" The commissioner yelled.

Scarlet Spider hesitated. "Okay… I'm going to let you go now…"

"What?" Gwen asked.

"Your part of the plan is much more important than ours. Just go and remember…"

Suddenly the lower half of the crane sticking out of the landing platform sank back into the pavement. Everybody stopped and stared for a moment, and then Daredevil rose out of the ground.

_What…_ Scarlet thought, and then she heard two snikts.

A shadow ran through the smokescreen of tear gas, and pieces of the S.W.A.T. team's guns fell to the ground. Along with their gas masks. The Commissioner began coughing, and shakily drew his firearm. "Come out… you…" Somebody gently took his gun away, and propelled him towards the stairwell. The other officers gather around the doorway.

Through his tears, the commissioner looked up and saw Wolverine walking out onto the terrace, taking off his gas mask. He waved goodbye, and the building creaked. "What was that?" He asked.

"I think it's Wolverine sir." His aid said. "And I think he just cut through the room's supports."

The other half of the room collapsed, separating the S.W.A.T. team from the landing platform.

Gwen held Cap down as he writhed in pain. "What's happening to him?" She asked.

"Stay back." Wolverine moved in and injected him with a needle. "Cap has a really bad heart condition. It doesn't usually effect him, but after all the fighting the tear gas must've triggered a reaction."

"He has a heart condition?" Gwen asked, horrified.

"Yeah. It's a real nasty thing. He had it all his life. It kept him from being a police officer."

"It… he…" Gwen sat in silent shock as Wolverine did emergency CPR.

Cap gasped and sputtered, and then sat up. "So… I'm dead?"

"Nope." Wolverine grinned. "We're very much in the land of the living."

"Then how did you… is Daredevil…"

"We're both fine, and the Hood won't be bothering us anymore." Wolverine assured us. "Sit here for a while, I have to check on her." He moved over towards Daredevil.

"But don't take too long to recover." Scarlet reminded him. "Remember, we have a S.W.A.T. team out for blood on the other side of that rubble." She walked away leaving Cap to catch his breath with Gwen.

"So, Steve…"

"Yes Gwen?"

"Leo said you have a heart condition… and it stopped you from being a police officer?"

Steve blushed. The blades of the helicopter starting were in tune with his heartbeats. "It's just a little thing really."

"Why did you tell me you were a policeman?"

He bowed his head. "Well… technically I am on the force… just as a pencil pusher though. I work in profiling." He looked up and saw Gwen's face. He sighed. "I guess… I just want to be a policeman so badly, and I think one day I will be. One day I can probably pass examination without being turned down because I have a bad heart. Because I'm not good enough."

Gwen saw tears gather in his eyes. "You're heart is plenty good enough." She said, and she kissed him.

Scarlet Spider grinned in the helicopter's door. "About time he loosened up." She said. "Hey fearless leader! We want to go sometime before Cho's funeral! Get to the chopper!"

The two of them got up. "This isn't like in the comic books is it?" She asked.

"No." He shook his head. "Because here, you've got the more important mission, albeit the less dangerous one. If we lose, we're still heroes. But if you succeed, we'll be legends." They parted, and Captain America left for the chopper.

The S.W.A.T. team broke through the rubble, and made their way through as the helicopter flew off. "Johnson!" The commissioner yelled. "Get some air support!" He moved in close to Gwen. "Are you alright officer Daniels?"

"I'm fine." Gwen said. "I guess I'm just a little embarrassed. This is my first mission. I'll take this other hostage to an ambulance." The Commissioner nodded, and Gwen took Sarah away.

Wolverine sat between Cap and Daredevil. He thought about what was coming next. He thought about facing Doom on his home turf after he'd killed dozens of more experienced heroes. He thought about protecting Oceana now that she was blinded. Blinded to save all of their lives. Would he have to pay the next price?

He turned to Oceana. "Hey Oceana?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

She smiled. "I know."

* * *

The old man sat in the open door of the helicopter he'd rented, the blades whirring over his head blocking out every other noise. In its own way, it was quite soothing. He still couldn't relax though. Not knowing what the Avengers were probably going through.

"Is there room for two more on this flight?" The old man started. The hangar was supposed to be empty.

"Chance? Angel? What are you doing here?"

The two mutants walked up to the old man. "We decided to take your advice and get out of here. The Avengers are outmatched."

The old man sighed. "Maybe."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

The old man shrugged. "I mean maybe without you two they really are outmatched."

"But you just said –"

"I didn't mean it." The old man shook his head. "Did you really think that just because Doom took out a whole generation of heroes, people would stop getting superpowers? I've tried to restart the Avengers before. Several times. Each one of them… well…"

The old man sighed. "I knew how you wanted to be an Avenger, but I didn't call you any of the other times because… well… when somebody gets powers, they feel the need to fight crime because that's what people do when they get powers in the comic books. They also feel the need to analyze their powers. To know their strengths… and their limits."

"When I found this gang, they didn't have powers, but they were already defending the defenseless without powers. And because they didn't have powers, they didn't need to be told their limits. And more importantly, they can't be told to back down. Those are powers you can't get by being bitten by a radioactive arachnid. I was sure this time. In fact, I still hold some hope they'll survive."

"So why the charade?" Chance asked, furiously. "Is this a test? Weeding out the unworthy from your little group?"

"Settle down Chance, your poker face is slipping." The old man tried to push him away, but Chance grabbed him by the collar and lifted him against the side of the helicopter.

"No! Why are you testing us? Didn't you do that when the X-men came over? Didn't we pass? Why did you need to lie?" He breathed in sharply and withdrew his hands. The old man had whipped them with his cane.

"I'm an old man Jacque." He said. "I've learned from my mistakes. And here's the one I made; I thought I could make the Avengers. I thought I could gather superheroes together, and make the perfect team. I… was wrong. You can't choose to be an Avenger. You can't choose people to be Avengers. The Avengers was never something that could be designed; every time somebody tried it turned out disastrous. The Avengers were always a team brought together by danger, forged by action. That's why I told them they couldn't do it. Because they I knew they wouldn't listen. Now… now they're Avengers. This wasn't a test Jacque… this was a necessity."

Tears began to stream down Jacque's cheeks. His sister quietly brushed them off.

"So dad was right. I guess running away from fights is in my blood."

"No." Angel shook her head and took off her glove. "No it isn't. Our dad was a brave man… _is_ a brave man… and he didn't run away from the end of the age of heroes."

"Of course he did." Jacque cried. "He ran. He was a coward… like me."

"Neither of you are cowards Jacque. He hid because our mom was pregnant. He hid because he didn't want anything to happen to us. He wasn't a coward Jacque. He never ran away from his duties as a father. And you… you're just like him." She touched him. "You didn't ran because you were afraid… you ran because you're patient, and because you're ready to wait as long as it takes to bring Doom down. And deep down, you know it. You know you're not a coward."

"There are lots of kinds of courage, Jacque." The old man said. "The courage to die in battle is no less important than the courage to live to fight another day."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Hermes walked across the tarmac to them, carrying a black cloth bag tied with gold string in one hand, and the trashed handlebar of a motorbike in the other. "Here're the reinforcements you were looking for old man." He said, handing him the bag. "Found it in a museum. I think I managed to ditch the cops but I wouldn't waste any time getting out of here."

The old man felt the bag. He felt the power radiating from it. He recognised it. "Is this…"

"Yep."

"How come you never found this before?"

"I never looked for it before."

"Why hasn't Loki…"

"He can't come to earth. Nobody from Asgard can, remember?"

The old man grinned slowly. "Oh Hermes, what would we do without you?" He got in the helicopter.

"Do you need any help?" Hermes asked.

"No. I've known what coordinates to put in the autopilots for years. Now's the time."

"Where are you going?" Chance asked.

The old man smiled like a chesire cat. "I'm going to go ram a duex es machina up Doom's hiney."


	9. Chpt 9 It's Clobberin Time

**_Chapter Nine; In Which It Is Clobberin' Time_**

_(Alternate title; **In Which There Is Much Awesomeness**)_

_Cowards die many times before their deaths;  
The valiant never taste of death but once._

_**William Shakespeare.**_

Doom swung another fist around, punching Cho in his chest, probably breaking a rib. "Before your time, the Sorcerer Supreme could have fixed that. He was a doctor." He backhanded him, sending him swinging around the room. "I was fighting that man to a stalemate while your mother was still in her diapers boy." He caught him and kicked him in the face. "I cannot believe you thought you had a chance."

Cho hung chained to the ceiling like a boxing bag, clothes torn and blood dripping on the floor. "You… will never get away with this." He said, trying to form coherent sentences with the blood pounding in his head and the ringing in his ears. He couldn't even believe his own words.

"You naive little brat!" Doom yelled, pounding the boy. "I got away with it before you were even born! I am Doom, and I killed the Avengers! Not just killed, destroyed! Crushed! I annihilated them!" He spun around with a savage karate chop and broke his leg.

"And who are you, that you want me as an enemy?" Doom leered as Cho spat blood.

* * *

_**Thirty Five years earlier…**_

_Doom looked out of the window, wiping the blood off his gloves. The battle raging below him was in full swing; he'd just sent out the tri-sentinels, and the small band of powerless heroes were pinned down. _

"_You… will never… win… Doom." Dr. Strange gasped from where he was tied up. "Your… arrogance… blinds you…"_

"_And your faith in your friends blinds you." Doom strutted away from the window. "I have been planning this moment for a long time now. Do you really think you can prevent it from happening? You cannot stop the will of Doom."_

_Doom looked into Strange's defiant face. "You honestly believe that they can save you, don't you? You honestly believe that they stand a chance by sheer force of will? What a pathetic naïve notion. Look down there. Captain America can barely able to hold his shield. This is the man your were calling great? And look at you. Tied up, and at my mercy. Admit it; you're all nothing. I've taken away anything that made you stand out in any way. And I've won."_

_Strange glared at him. "Allow me… to offer… my… rebuttal." He spat on Doom's mask._

_Doom wiped the strand of saliva off. "Impressive distance, but you've accomplished nothing."_

_Strange shook his head. "No… I've shown you… that you aren't in control… Doom. I am. You haven't won. You haven't beaten anybody. The fact… that they're still out there… fighting… proves it."_

_Doom began to shake with rage. "Of course I'm in control! But there must be rules! It's no fun if they I simply kill them all, as well I could!"_

_Strange groaned weakly. "Fun? …When… have you cared… about fun?"_

_Dr. Doom pushed the intercom button. "Agent Toynbee, send in Mastermind."_

_Strange grunted, inquisitively. "You… you aren't… Doom… are you?"_

_Doom spun around and hit him hard. "Quiet, insect!"_

_Agent Toynbee and Mastermind walked into the room. "I'm honored that I can be part of your plan, lord Doom."_

"_A crucial part." Doom whispered. He entered a code into a panel on the wall opposite to the window and it opened, to reveal a walkway into what looked like the inside of a gigantic golf ball. At the end of the walkway, stopping dead center in the room, was a computer console. Attached to it, was a helmet._

_Mastermind's breath caught. "Is that…"_

"_Cerebro." Doom said. "We had it confiscated during the attack on the Xavier institute." He looked out the window. The former heroes were beginning to overwhelm his ground troops. The Tri-Sentinels were down. He signaled for Nimrod to begin his attack, then turned back to Mastermind. "What you did to the Sentry? I want you to do it again."_

_Mastermind nodded. "To who?"_

_Doom grinned beneath his metal mask. "Everybody."_

"_Don't listen!" Strange choked out behind him. "He's not…" Doom spun around and knocked Dr. Strange back again._

"_Can you do it?" He asked._

"_I… I've only ever…" Mastermind paled. "Every single hero?"_

"_And the villains." Doom said._

_Mastermind shook his head. "I'm not Xavier…"_

"_But you have his toy." Doom gestured to Cerebro. "Come come Mastermind, you've done it once you can do it again. This is crucial, that all memory of these… 'heroes'… be erased from history. My people will handle the written word… now all you have to do is stop the legend from being passed through generations."_

"_I…" Mastermind licked his lips. "I'm not sure I can."_

"_Oh, I don't expect you to be perfect about it." Doom assured him. "After all, when you did the Sentry there were still those comic books. Eh? I fully expect there to be more comic books… urban legends… maybe the lone conspiracy theorist or two, insisting that heroes once existed. But from the mindless majority… the sheep without a shepherd… the scientists and the writers, and the people who will be taken seriously… they must forget. The Avengers, and all that they stood for, must die."_

_Mastermind gulped. "Okay. I'll do it."_

_Doom clapped him on the back. "Good man."_

"_He…" Doom slapped a bug-shaped device on Strange, and the sorcerer supreme screamed in agony as five thousand volts shot though his body._

"_Now would be good Mastermind." Doom said. "Before some hero S.H.I.E.L.D.'s overlooked comes crashing through the window. They always do that."_

"_Yes, yes." Mastermind scurried through the door into Cerebro._

_Doom knelt down in front of Dr. Strange. "Now… an old friend of yours wants to see you doctor."_

_Dr. Strange's eye widened as Doom took and amulet from the folds of his cloak. He set it down directly underneath where Dr. Strange was hanging, and black smoke began to belch from the intricate pattern on the amulet. "No! No! Noooo!" Strange wriggled in the ropes, trying to reach an amulet on his belt, but Doom's bug zapped him again._

_The black smoke formed into a floating red skull. It took in the room, then laughed at the helpless Strange. "I must admit Doom, when you told me that you could succeed where I, Dormammu, had failed… I must admit I doubted you."_

_Doom nodded. "You are not the first to underestimate me. But now, I can hear the screams of heroes by sticking my head out the window." He turned to Dr. Strange. "You see doctor, I have a dimensional transporter. And I can use It to send Dormammu here to another dimension to conquer as he pleases. All he needed was incentive, so I told him that I would give him you. Gift wrapped. Such a noble sacrifice on your part. I'm sure if I weren't wiping their memories, the people of earth would thank you."_

"_You are hardly doing this out of the kindness of your heart, charlatan." Strange glowered._

_Doom thought a bit. "No." He said. "You're right of course. Getting Dormammu off world is just a little bonus, to getting rid of you." He gestured to the side. "The portal is that way Dormammu. I set it to a nice little earth, where the world is busy at war with the Hulk people. You should be able to take over quite easily in the confusion. Maybe even use the Hulks as an army."_

_Dormammu hissed. "I do not trust technology. However… you have fulfilled your end of the bargain. And I have always known you to be honorable in our dealings Doom." Dormammu reached out and snapped the chains suspending Doctor Strange._

"_You… will… fall…" Strange croaked as he was dragged along the floor._

"_Everything does." Doom responded. "Life's much more interesting that way."_

_With a flash of light they both vanished into the vortex._

"_Director Von Doom?" And agent asked over the private channels. "A jet just landed on the helicarrier. Captain America's on board."_

"_I'll go up to meet him." He turned as Mastermind emerged from the cerebro, gasping for breath. _

"_Where's… Strange?" He asked._

"_Gone." Doom said smugly. "And what about you? Are you finished?"_

"_I… I didn't manage to erase all of earth's memories. Some… small pockets of people remember. But they will make comic books. They will nullify people's belief in heroes and aliens. Given time."_

"_Well done Mastermind." Doom patted him on the back. "Toynbee. Carry him up with us, he'll probably want to see this."_

_The three of them boarded an elevator up, flying onto the top of the helicarrier. As the elevator doors opened, the three of them were greeted by gunfire._

"_I told them not to shoot!" Doom yelled. He rushed onto the main carrier deck, and was stunned at what he saw._

_The pathetic, thin, wasted old man in the sagging Captain America suit, held his shield as high as he could, and was knocked to the ground by the bullets flying from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's gun. He had several bleeding wounds in him already, but he stood back up anyways. The agent was crying. Doom realized instantly; the agent was trying to kill Captain America before he could, out of mercy._

"_Cease fire!" Doom held up a hand and blasted the agent's head off. He turned to Captain America, who was steadily making his way towards Doom, barely able to stay on his feet. Doom rushed over to him. "No. You don't die unless I say you die!" He supported the Captain and made him look into his eyes. "I am not finished with you!"_

"_I'm… finished… with… you…" Captain America coughed. "I'm… ending… this… like… I… started… it…"_

"_And how is that?" Doom asked, curious. _

"_Introducing evil to my right hook." Captain America weakly raised his right hand, and pressed it against Doom's jaw, so weakly that he didn't even feel it. The he died in his hands._

_A tear trickled down Doom's mask, and he quickly wiped it off before turning to his compatriots. "We've won." He announced proudly."Truly… this is the end of the age of heroes."_

"_Director Doom!" One of the agents on deck yelled. "Look out!"_

_He turned, and saw it. The sentinel flew up and landed on the helicarrier, Spider-man's lifeless corpse hanging off of the control panel in the back. "Self-destruct in 20…" It announced in monotone._

"_Everybody abandon ship!" Doom yelled, running to his private airship. _

* * *

**Present...**

Doom was silent for a moment, as he sprayed Cho with a hose to negate his powers. "I admit, they did surprise me that day. They showed courage that I had not known was possible, and ingenuity to match. But it did not matter. I expected some to survive the slaughter, but only some. I expected that the Avengers would attempt to reform; and they have failed. Consistently.

He leaned in close, pulling Cho near to his face. "No one… no one… can outsmart me."

"Director Doom." Toynbee interrupted. "The Hood's private helicopter is trying to land."

"Well, I hadn't expected an appointment, but let him come." He turned back to Cho. "Let me tell you something 'Sandboy'; I hate magic users. They disgust me. Life has rules. Always. And you magic users… you're all cheaters. It's why I took Dr. Strange out of the equation for my plans first. And it's why I'm glad Osborn managed to take you prisoner, so I could torture you to death."

He punched Cho, then kicked him again. "You've already blacked out." He snorted. "Don't worry, we have all the time in the world to kill you."

"Director Doom!"

"What is it Toynbee?"

"The Avengers are here!"

"Don't say that!" Doom spat. "What did I say? The Avengers are dead!"

"Yes sir, sorry sir… what I mean is the prisoner's friends have boarded via the Hood's helicopter."

"... Clear the helicarrier."

"What? Sir…"

"Don't question me Toynbee! Get all of the agents out of this helicarrier now. We're over Manhatten correct? Tell them to wait by the docks. And get Osborn down here."

"Yes sir, right away sir."

Doom turned back to his unconscious captive. "I wish you could've heard that. I wish I could've seen your face light up, with the brief hope that you'd be free. I wish you could see what I'm about to do to your friends, so I could see the hopelessness return."

* * *

Captain America led the Avenger's charge down the corridors of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, with Scarlet Spider and Daredevil at his side. Any agent who got in their way, was instantly webbed up by Scarlet Spider. Any agent fast enough to dodge her, would be steamrolled by Captain America, or he'd yell to let Daredevil know when to bring her billy club down on some poor guy's head. Deadpool followed behind, at an almost nonchalant stroll, hitting any agents still conscious down with Excalibur. Wolverine followed behind them, making sure no agents were permanently injured.

"This is too easy." Cap muttered.

"Don't look the gift horse in the mouth." Scarlet quipped. "I mean, we are beating people without having to go through serious trauma inducing fights for once."

"Leave the face clean on the next one Scarlet." Cap ordered.

"Can do." The next agent ran around the corner, gun raised, and Scarlet shot five strands of webbing, one to jam him gun, two to tie his feet up and two to tie his arms up.

"Soldier!" Cap held him up. "Where are all the agents here?"

"Private Rick Maxwell, 2nd –"

"We don't have time for your serial number private!" Cap yelled. "Your boss has killed hundreds of innocent people, and he's planning on killing our friend. He's committed treason, and about a dozen other atrocities. And if you don't tell us what's going on, he'll commit more. You know it? Don't you? You know what he is but you haven't said anything because he's your commanding officer. For once in your life be a man and stand up for yourself, and your country."

Private Maxwell looked around nervously. "He's… ordered everybody not to engage you, to get off the Helicarrier."

"Why would he do that?" Daredevil asked.

Captain America raised his hand to his chin in thought. "He probably wants to kill us himself or…" His eyes widened. "Or he's planning to destroy the Helicarrier with us in it." He gestured to Wolverine. "Cut this man loose. Private Maxwell, there are several injured S.H.I.E.L.D. agents along this corridor, all tied up. You need to get them off of this helicarrier, do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Once he was untied Private Maxwell ran down the corridor.

"Alright everybody, be ready for him. Because you can bet he's ready for us."

"You'd win that bet."

Everybody whipped around, ready for a fight. The Green Goblin stood in the hallway, hands behind his back innocently. "It's alright kids, I'm not here to kill you this time. I'm here to take you to Doom so he can kill you for a change."

"We're sorry if we don't exactly trust you." Cap said.

"Hah!" The Goblin laughed. "Well, I'm not about to attack you. It's your own choice weather you all want to follow me or not, but I'd advise following me if you ever want to see your friend again."

He started walked down the hallway. Cap glanced back at the Avengers, then followed him warily, keeping his shield up.

"Good choice." Goblin quipped, looking back. "Now, normally I'd take the elevator, but I'm guessing you don't trust me being that close, so we'll take the stairs."

They followed a good distance away from the Green Goblin as they walked down the stairwell. The entire Helicarrier was quiet now, save for the small humming of the helicopter blades keeping them aloft, and their heartbeats which seemed to echo through their minds.

The Green Goblin led them through a door, and they all followed him into the bridge. Doom's stare met them as they filed in, weapons ready. "Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier one." Doom said coldly. "Congratulations. You have managed to defeat the Hood, a common criminal, and that muscle-bound oaf Hyde, and boarded my personal airship, at the expense of two of your members. One of whom is my hostage." He gestured to Cho, hanging behind him. "I am unimpressed."

Captain America's eyes narrowed at the sight of Cho. "Well you've managed to wipe out two whole generations of heroes… once they're powerless and you have an army of killer robots at your back."

There was a silence.

"Child, you have no idea who I am. I am Doom. I killed your predecessors with ease where cosmic entities have failed. I always liked leaving a single slim way out of the traps I left heroes in. Your way out was to get off of my airship. Simply by walking into this room, you have sealed your fate, and killed yourself and your teammates. I. Am. Doom."

"Well we're the Avengers." Captain America declared. "Bring it on."

Rockets in Doom's boots activated and he flew at the Avengers. Captain America raised his shield, and Doom simply rolled off of it behind him, catching Deadpool in the chest with his rockets. He blocked a strike from Daredevil and backhanded her into a computer station. Scarlet Spider tried to shoot him, and the bullets bounced off of his armor, hitting Wolverine and Captain America, who had yet to even turned around. He grabbed her by the throat and held her in front of Wolverine as a human shield from his adamantium claws. When he paused, uncertain, he blasted him away. He turned, heaving Scarlet Spider away and blocking Captain America's shield with his magnetic repellors, sending him and his shield flying.

"I remain unimpressed." Doom gloated coldly. "You actually had trouble with this rabble Osborn?"

The Green Goblin growled at Doom, then jumped down into the space between computer consoles where the Scarlet Spider had landed, cackling ferociously. "There's still time." He gloated. "Sofia, Alex, you can still join me. Give up now and you can live."

"Never." Sofia said.

"Oh, come on. Your father was a supervillain too."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Heh. Oh yes, you didn't know how your father and I worked together did you? His story was that he worked for the military. We both worked for Doom once upon a time. In fact, once he was a legitimate threat to the original Avengers. He called himself the Taskmaster. He was one of the best hitmen in the business, and he taught other supervillains how to fight. Just like he taught you." He laughed. "I guess you can take the teacher out of the school, but he'll just find more students." He leaned in close to her. "He's been training you and Alex to be bad guys since day one. It's why he didn't get rid of Alex when his mental illness was diagnosed, because it made him a better killer."

"You've been fighting Spider-man for too long Goblin." Doom said. "You talk too much. Girl; your father prepared a future for you and your brother in my cadre. Do you want it or not?"

Scarlet Spider hesitated. She looked towards her brother, uncertainly. He lifted the bottom half of his mask and walked towards Doom. "Master…" He intoned Vader style, kneeling before Doom.

He laughed. "Hahahahaha! Yes boy! I am your –" He froze as Deadpool reached around behind him and somehow yanked the underwear out of Doom's armor. "Yoink! Wedgie power!"

"Impudent boy!" Doom fired off several blasts at Deadpool, who dodged them and stuck out his tongue at Doom, blowing a raspberry. "You dare play an immature schoolyard trick on Doom!" Suddenly he was covered from head to toe in an explosion of sticky white fluid.

"Way to go bro!" Scarlet Spider cheered. "That was priceless!" She saw a movement in the corner of her eye, and dodged the Green Goblin's attack.

"Are you kidding me?" the Goblin yelled. "I gave everything to you kids! I spoiled you rotten! I took you and your brother away from your boring father, and this is how I am repayed?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Scarlet Spider asked.

"I mean, he was going to spoil Doom's pans, our plans, your plans! So I killed him. And I raised you to be my little villains."

"What!" Scarlet Spider lunged at him, and he knocked her out with a blow to the back of the head.

"Heh, you're so predictable when you're angry." He said. "Goodbye Sofia."

Suddenly, Captain America's shield flew from the other side of the room and broke his nose. It spun around and flew back into Captain America's hand as Wolverine pulled the bullet out of his shoulder. "Round three Golbin." He said.

"Well, if you really want to kill yourself, who am I to stop you?" He drew his vibranium cutlass and lunged at him. Cap dodged, sparks flying off his shield as it met his sword, and shot out a foot. The two of them parried across the bridge, sword vs. shield. Goblin was faster, stronger, and wasn't afraid to kill. Captain America had none of those advantages, but he fought anyway.

When the Goblin swept him off his feet, he'd jump back up and block the next blow. When Cap landed a hit with his shield Goblin shrugged it off and didn't even slow down. Cap knocked Goblin's sword away, and the Goblin just launched himself after it, using his shield as a springboard.

The Green Goblin made a cunningly twisted his sword, bringing his arm around and trapping Captain America's arm, sweeping the shield off and then, with a grunt, breaking it. Captain America's screams of pain matched the Green Goblin's mad laughter.

"I haven't had this much fun in decades." He laughed. "What on earth made you think you could beat me the third time?"

"Because this time, I'm not just Captain America." He said.

"And what do you mean by that?" The Green Goblin asked. Suddenly, he felt a finger tapping at his shoulder. He turned, and Deadpool swung Excalibur, making a loud crack as metal met bone and the Green Goblin fell backwards. Cap grabbed his right arm, and Deadpool grabbed his left, prying the weapon from his hand.

"This time, I'm an Avenger. You fight with one of us –"

The Green Goblin struggled as the scene unfolded in front of him. Wolverine had cut Cho free from his chains and woken him up with some smelling salts. Cho conjured a magical bullet and tossed it to Scarlet Spider, who loaded it into her gun.

"– You fight with all of us. Time to pick on somebody in your own weight class."

"No!" The Green Goblin screamed. Scarlet Spider shot him, straight through the chest. It exploded out, opening his chest up. Cap and Deadpool let go, and the Goblin fell to the deck, rasping for breath. He winced and with an effort pushed his ribcages back together. He reached out, grabbed his charred heart from off the floor, and Deadpool stepped on it.

_Please_ he mouthed, eyes pleading.

"Deadpool." Cap warned. "He's too weak to do anything now. Give him back his heart."

Deadpool hesitated, the picked it up and rammed it into his chest. The Green Goblin convulsed, and then began to breath again, rasping, barely conscious.

"Are you kidding me?" Scarlet asked. "You're letting him live? You –"

An explosion rocked the bridge, and the webbing that had Doom cocooned disintegrated. "Fools!" Doom yelled, seeing the scene before him. "He was but a foot soldier! A pawn! Now you shall face your Doom!"

"Director Von Doom!" All eyes turned to the bridge's main view screen. The president was staring at Doom.

"Mr. President!" Doom said, shocked. "Uh… I'm in the middle of dealing with some terrorists…"

"Save it Doom." The president said. "I know everything. These two ladies have explained it all." Gwen Urich stepped into the camera, followed by the Hood's secretary. They were standing in the hotel room the President was staying in for his visit to New York. "Not only did your plan to get rid of super villains fail, but that was never your intention to begin with. You fed my predecessors the same lying garbage you fed me, killed hundreds of heroes, and you've kept it a secret by killing anybody else who could fight people like you."

"Well sir…"

"You're finished Doom."

He glared at the screen. "You don't get to decide that 'Mr. President'. I am the sovereign ruler of Latvertia! I am untouchable!"

"No, you're not." Gwen said. She turned to Sarah. "Tell the President why Doom used a magic based supervillain as a contact in New York instead of a regular crime lord. Tell him the secret that he held over Doom to keep him alive."

"No…" Doom whispered.

"He… He…" The secretary shuddered. "He's not Victor Von Doom. The real Dr. Doom died. Years ago. He's really…"

Doom blew out the view screen. Then he turned, slowly, to the Avengers.

"Now, thanks to you, I will have to go to ground. Thanks to you, I'll lose my castle, my arsenal, I'll have to build up from scratch. But on the upside, people will at last know who really started the end of the age of heroes."

"Who are you?" Captain America asked.

Doom took off his mask, revealing a boyish, if aged face, with ginger graying hair. "Heh. The Green Goblin didn't manage to figure it out, but I still shouldn't have been so careless. Letting Hood live... My name used to be Arcade. I was a hitman for hire. A genius. A child prodigy. I built whole worlds… murderworlds… where there were games my victim had to play, and there was only one way out. They were fun games, but nobody ever figured out how to escape them."

"Until I started doing heroes. My reputation went downhill then. They always found a way out – always! Especially the Fantastic four. Ooooh, they annoyed me so. By the time I got hired to kill Dr. Doom, I was about ready to throw in the towel. Life… just wasn't fun anymore."

"But then… Doom died. I couldn't believe it. Doom died in one of my traps. Those super freaks weren't invincible. So I went quiet. I took Doom's place, and let everybody think he'd killed me. It was easy. I'm surprised nobody else did it before. All I had to do was act like I was superior to everybody in the room, and I often was. His mask fit me like a glove, and with a single voice-modifier nobody suspected it was me underneath. Half of the time I'd just send out a doombot anyway, and nobody questioned it. Simple."

"Life was fun again. I could lose as often as I liked, but it was always Dr. Doom losing, not me. And the plans he'd left behind… so brilliant. I had to add the tiny flaws into them so the heroes could find a way out, and sometimes they almost missed it!"

"But then… Johnny Storm, the human torch. He kept on mocking me. Kept on teasing me about how I'd always lose. I'd ran out of Doom's plans, and I couldn't take it anymore. I decided to take everything away from him, even his community. Doom had a ray gun that could nullify any powers, even the magical kind. He'd never used it before, out of some strange misplaced respect for the heroes that beat him on a daily basis. But our codes of honor differed. I used one of Doom's plans to spark a civil war among the inhumans to distract them, and one contract with S.H.I.E.l.D. and Weapon X later, I had my army and was ready to conquer."

"It was my finest moment. And now the world will know it was mine." His eyes shone with excitement. "And now, I'll kill the Avengers a second time."

Cap glared at him. "Avengers! Let's Assemble on this #%*$#* psycho!"

They charged, and Arcade put Doom's mask back on. He launched some rockets at Scarlet Spider, but she dodged them. He used his magnetic repulsor on Cap again, but he just threw his shield away and struck with his fists. Arcade winced as sparks flew in his eye; Deadpool had come up behind him and was attacking his armor with a chainsaw. He slapped him away, but he was quickly replaced by Wolverine, who cut through his armor like butter. Arcade yelled in pain at the searing wound in his shoulder, and he put his shields on full power. Blasting the Avengers away, he ran to Daredevil and held the rays in his gauntlet to her head.

"Stay away! Stay back or I swear her head'll explode like a watermelon!"

"No. It won't."

All eyes turned as the old man walked into the room, tapping his cane.

Arcade paled. "No… not you…"

"Surprised to see me Arcade?" He asked. "Well not nearly as surprised as I am. I thought all of those painful times I beat you at your own game sent you packing."

"Osborn! Kill him!" Arcade screamed.

The Green Goblin looked up, weakly.

"Throw a pumpkin bomb at him or something!"

The Green Goblin looked at the old man, then looked back at Arcade, and he whispered; "No."

"W-what?" Arcade asked.

"Half the reason your plans pulled through when you were Doom is because people feared and respected him." He rasped. "He was a friend of mine – well, as close as two sociopaths can be to being friends – and you killed him. You, a two-bit loser who always gave the heroes a way to defeat you on a silver platter, then cried like a baby when they beat you. A kid with a bad haircut who thought he was smart when really? He probably just had OCD. Frankly, I can't believe you managed to pull this off. This plan is going to blow up in your face. It always was, the second you decided to implement it. And do you know why? It's because it's your plan. Have fun watching it crumble like a house of cards. I'm out of here." He pressed a button on his suit, and his glider flew in through the window. He reached up, grabbed it, and flew away on it.

"What – you can't –"

"He just did." The old man said. "And he's smarter than you. He's right, you don't have a cat's chance in a doghouse."

"No! No! I still have a hostage!"

"Not anymore." Daredevil had managed to get her can of mace out of her pocket and she raised it to Arcade's vulnerable spot; his mask's eye slits. As he screamed, she ducked out of his laser blast and, just to add insult to injury, found his underwear where Deadpool had already pulled it out and gave it one more pull.

"Aaaaaargh!" He screamed in pain.

"Game over Arcade." The old man said.

"No!" Arcade yelled. "Even if you did manage to survive, I know you don't have any powers. None of you have powers! I will win this time!" He opened a control panel in his suit, and pressed a series of buttons. "In thirty seconds, the helicarrier will fall out of the sky. I will escape. You will die. And soon, everybody will know that Arcade plays a serious game!"

"Wrong on all counts." The old man said. "Your legacy is dying right here. Right now. Nobody will know it was you. All of the credit will go to Doom. You won't escape. The Avengers won't die. And about us being powerless?" He grinned and took out a black clothe pouch, tied shut with a golden string. "Guess what I've got in my little black bag?" He opened it, and a glowing rock shone in the palm of his hand.

"No…" Arcade's eyes widened "A Norn stone".

The old man's eyes shone with power, and the rock hummed in his hand. When the humming stopped, he tossed the rock to the Avengers. "Get to safety!" He yelled, smiling.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Arcade yelled.

He dropped his cane and took off his sunglasses. The tips of his beard became to curl and smoke. His scarred, faded eyes glowed bright red. Everybody began to hear a small sizzle, like bacon on a frying pan. The old man began to laugh. Not a sinister laugh like Arcade, but a joyful laugh, like he was greeting an old friend after being gone a long time.

"FLAME ON!"

The old man burst into flame, still laughing. "Steve! Get everybody out!"

He didn't need to be told twice. Even across the room, the heat coming from off his body was making sweat roll down his face. "Avengers! Let's get out of here!" They all ran out of the room, and Cap turned back. "What about you Mr. Storm?"

"I'll be fine! Just go! You're Avengers now! You don't need me to tell you how to save the world!"

"Die Johnathan Storm!" Arcade fired at him with Doom's laser beams.

Storm twisted an inch to the side, barely noticeable, and the beams flew right past him. "I know all of Doom's tricks Arcade! And you're just a kid playing dress-up!" Doom grabbed the hose he'd been using to torture Cho with just moments before, and turned it on Johnny full blast. It evaporated before it came within two feet of him. "Awe yeah, bring it on! Justice is a dish best served HOT!

It got too hot to stay, and Steve left, running up the stairs with the rest of the Avengers as time ran out and the helicarrier started to fall.

"Goodbye Storm!" Arcade called, and he activated his rocket boots and began to fly away. Quicker than the eye could follow, Johnny Storm flew up behind him and grabbed his legs, frying the circuitry in his boots. With a yelp, Arcade fell the floor.

The Avengers made it up to the carrier deck, but there were no planes. "They must have taken everything during evacuation!" Captain America yelled.

"What are we going to do?" Daredevil yelled.

"Cho! Cho, can you do something with your magic?" Cap asked.

"I'm too weak." Cho said. "I used up the last of my magic on Scarlet's bullet!"

"Maybe if one of use touches the rock we'll get superpowers!" Deadpool yelled. He took off his glove and reached for it. His eyes glowed as he touched it, and it began to hum with energy. When the humming stopped, he jumped into the air… and fell back onto the deck. "Well, that didn't work!"

"Here!" Scarlet, Wolverine, and Daredevil took off their gloves and placed their hands on the stone. The rock hummed louder than before, but when it stopped and exploded suddenly into black shards.

"Did it work?" Wolverine yelled.

"Nothing!" Scarlet Spider yelled.

"It did work!" Daredevil yelled. "I can see! I can see and…" She gasped. "There!"

Suddenly, they heard the whirring of helicopter blades. A helicopter descended over the falling platform, and the side door opened to reveal Angel. "Everybody get in!" she yelled.

The Avengers all ran into the helicopter. Chance looked back from the pilot's seat. "Thank you for choosing to fly Lebue air rescues. Please keep your seats in their full and upright positions, bags will be supplied if you feel the need to hurl, and there will be no peanuts Deadpool, please do not ask."

"Aaaawe." Deadpool moaned as the helicopter flew away from the burning helicarrier.

* * *

In the bridge, Arcade was running short of breath as Johnny's flames burned the air. "What are you doing you dolt? You're just going down with me!"

Johnny shook his head and grabbed Doom, pouring on the heat as the helicarrier went bridge-first into the water. "I'm not going down with you!" He yelled. "You're going down with me!"

He looked at the water getting nearer, then back at Arcade as he started to scream. He smiled, and decided there was only one more thing left to do. One more thing to make this victory perfect. He opened his mouth and yelled, as hard and loud as he could;

"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!"

The Helicarrier hit the water, and erupted into a ball of flame.

* * *

The shockwave from the explosion of the helicarrier hitting the water knocked the helicopter out of the sky. "Everybody hang on!" Chance yelled, desperately piloting it down.

"Are you sure we don't have any peanuts?" Deadpool yelled.

"Shut up!" Chance screamed, and he managed to pull up just in time. The helicopter skidded across the docks and crashed into the side of a warehouse.

"Everybody out!" Cap said, kicking the door open. They piled out onto the pier, Wolverine carrying Cho out. "How is he?" Cap asked.

"Nasty bump on the head and some bones are broken, but he'll be okay." Leo said. "But we need to get him to a hospital fast to replenish his blood supply. He's had a lot knocked out of him."

"We all have." Captain America turned to the sunrise. The Avengers all walked to the edge of the docks, watching the pyrotechnic display of the wrecked carrier silhouetting the sunrise like a Viking funeral. Storm cloud rumbled over their heads. Captain America had tears in his eyes. "Avengers. Salute." They all took off their masks and saluted the old man. Even Deadpool.

"Guys, put your masks back on." Daredevil said suddenly.

"What?"

"Put your masks back on!"

Suddenly, they heard the sound of trucks behind them, and they turned around, putting on their masks. A tank drove into the road between two warehouses, and several jeeps with mounted gatling gun turrets drove down the sides of the docks. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came out of nowhere, swarming around the tank and the trucks, and all pointing their guns at the Avengers.

They were surrounded. The only way out was into the water. Red lights lit up their uniforms, and the Avengers went into their fighting stances, knowing it would be useless. The advancing agents stopped, forming a tight semicircle around the Avengers. The tank's hatch opened, and agent Toynbee stepped out.

"Alright, who had the black cat marshmallow in their lucky charms?" Deadppol asked.

"Terrorists known as the Avengers!" He yelled in a megaphone. "You are hereby under arrest!"

"On what charges!" Daredevil yelled.

"On charges of terrorism, assassination of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., destruction of U.N. property…"

"Your director blew himself up!" Scarlet Spider yelled.

"Throw down your weapons and take off your masks or be shot!" Toynbee yelled.

Captain America hesitated, then turned to his team. "I can't ask you guys to –"

"You don't have to." Deadpool put his hand on Cap's shoulder. "Don't worry bro. We have Excalibur; they're outnumbered."

Cap laughed. "Undoubtedly." He looked around. "Guys?"

"We're with you." Scarlet Spider said.

Daredevil and Wolverine reached for each other's hands and looked into each other's eyes. They nodded.

Cap looked to Chance and Angel. "Right." Chance snorted. "Like we're leaving you to have all the glory again."

"Alright then." Captain America turned around and held his shield up. "Bring it on you toad! Bring all the weapons and agents and tanks you can muster! Bring all of the firepower you think you'll need to bring us down and we still won't surrender! We're the Avengers! Birds swim! Fish fly! Us? We stand up to cowards like you, hiding behind your illusions of power, and we show you that it's not enough! So take your best shot! But the first one had better kill us!"

Toynbee bristled. "Agents prepare to –"

"Agent Toynbee!" Agent Maxwell spoke up. "Are you sure about this? They're the Avengers. Maybe we could strike a deal…"

"They're not the Avengers!" Toynbee yelled. "They're just people in costumes and I say prepare to fire!" Thunder clashed through the sky as the S.I.E.L.D. agents readied their guns.

"I love you." Daredevil said.

"I know." Wolverine replied.

"On my mark." Captain America whispered.

"On my mark!" Toynbee yelled.

Thunder echoed across the pier, and a silver lightning bolt shot down from the clouds gathering above them. It hit the ground directly between the Avengers and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Everybody backed away in shock. The smoke from the crater cleared, and a tall figure rose out of it. He wore silver pate armor with a black T indented on the breastplate. His helmet had wings and he had long flowing hair. He carried a hammer the size of Toynbee's body. "Now I ask you..." He said. "Is this a fair fight?"

"Ben?" Cap asked.

"Ho friends!" Ben said Jovially. "Call me Thunderstrike. Awake Sandman my friend!"

Cho started awake, his wounds magically healing, and stared at his friend. "Ben? But you're…"

"I died and went to Valhalla, where all the valiant who die in battle go. As you continued to show bravery in Mid-gard, lord Odin decided to grant you your request, and sent me back to you in aid. Hear me agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!" He called out to the mob. "We are more than mere men in costume! We are Avengers! And not a drop of our blood shall touch the ground this day! Drop your weapons and you will be allowed to live!"

"Everybody fire! Fire!" Toynbee yelled.

"Portruvios Tegra!" The Sandman countered.

Bullets and ray guns and tank shells all shot off at once, straight for the Avengers. In an instant the bullets froze in midair in a perfect semi-circle around them, the shell from the tank stopping inches from Thunderstrike's forehead. Beams from the ray guns swerved and went straight up into the heavens. The gunfire slowly puttered out, until they stopped altogether. The bullets blew away into the wind, nothing but sand.

"What are you doing?" Toynbee yelled in a panicked frenzy. "Shoot them!"

Thunderstrike raised his hammer. "Warriors of Valhalla! To us!"

Wardrums beat out a triumphant march, echoing through the clouds. A million strong voices began singing a song of blood and steel, glory and honor, strength and dignity. A rainbow shot down from the skies, taking a chunk of rock out of the pier when it impacted. Down from the rainbow streamed hundreds of soldiers; Viking warriors, medieval Knights, soldiers of WWII, American soldiers of the Civil war, Marines, air force pilots, police officers, everybody who ever died in battle fighting for a better world.

And leading them was Captain America, shield glistening in the light of the rainbow. Iron-man flew down in magical armor. Spider-man by their side, his face unfettered by a mask, laughing like he'd already won. Wolverine charged, claws bared, next to Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Angel, and the rest of the X-men. His friend the Incredible Hulk walked behind him, each hand as big as a truck, yet somehow serene and focused. Frank Castle rode a tricked out tank behind him, sporting every type of gun that had ever existed, and some really nasty stuff of his own design.

As the mob swarmed down the rainbow bridge, the fantasticar flew down from the clouds and over the wreckage of the helicarrier. The water sizzled for a moment, and then Johnny Storm erupted from the water in all of his blazing glory. The family hugged, briefly, and then he nodded towards the Avengers and the four of them flew over to join them.

Every sword ever wielded by a fighter, every gun from a patriot, every weapon from every man, woman, mother, father, rebel, soldier, and samaritan all pointed themselves towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had just moments before outnumbered the Avengers. Captain America exchanged glances and a nod with his deceased predecessor, and then stepped up and raised his voice. "We will not ask you again: Drop! Your! Weapons!"

Hands let go of their guns, and across the pier the clattering of rifles and energy weapons hitting the ground echoed through the masses of dead heroes. Agent Toynbee raised his megaphone to his lips and whimpered. "Maybe we can strike a deal…"

"Pwned." Deadpool chuckled.

* * *

Arcade stumbled out of the water, gasping for breath. "Ha." He laughed. "Haha. I'm alive. I'm alive and they don't know. I can still get them. I can still win the game. Hahahahahahaha!" He turned his eyes up to the skies in laughter, and then he froze.

The stars were screaming.

He looked back at the shore.

Rotting corpses shambled on the shore, wearing searing hot chains. The ground was as black as tar, the stench unrivalled. Behind the dead, a massive plume of fire spread up, lighting the land around for miles upon miles. Arcade scrambled back into the water, then cried out in pain. The water was boiling. It leaked in between the gaps in his armor, searing his flesh. He jumped out of the water, crying, trying desperately to tear off the armor.

"It won't come off." A silent, rage filled voice hissed from the darkness.

Arcade looked up, tears streaming down his cheeks. A lone figure walked unchained across the plain of the dead. A figure ten feet tall, in a cloak as black as midnight, and armor as shined and menacing as a knife. The mask stared forward, and two fiery eyes stared out of the slits made for them. The man carried a horrific trident, twice as long as him, with points that visibly gleamed in the low light.

"You wanted to wear my armor, you will wear it for eternity." Arcade screamed as his skin burned, and turned to blackened steel. His screams died as his mouth was seared away, replaced by the mask's vent.

"Every plan in my workshop, every weapon in my arsenal, squandered in petty games! Squandered by you!" The steel that was now Arcade's skin solidified. He couldn't move, save for the eyes, looking frantically for a way out. There was always a way out. He could only stare at the horrific figure stalking towards him, as he was frozen kneeling.

"This is not a game! There is no way out! Look there!" He cried, pointing at a group of corpses. "Look upon the men, who paid you to murder Doom! They never thought you would succeed! They planned for your death! And you actually thought you had killed me? I killed myself! I killed myself, because I refused to insult my reputation by playing your pathetic games. I would rather be the lord of hell, and you unable to claim you matched your pitiful wits against mine, than ruler of earth and with the eternal shame that a boy as pathetic as you thought himself a match for me!"

His trident burnt the air as he speared the motionless Arcade in the back. Smoke poured from the wound, blood boiling. He was in agony, but he couldn't scream. He didn't have a mouth anymore, just a vent to breath in the acrid smoke. "I have you for a millennia child." Doom whispered. "And then it's Alex Wilder's turn. Oh yes, he has a bone to pick with you for the death of his beloved. And then he'll hand you over to Dormammu. As it turns out, your piffling grasps of the basics of my dimensional transporter accidentally sent him to a dimension which wasn't so defenseless. You have not begun to regret your actions."

"You have failed to grasp the slightest inkling of who I am. It matters not when or where I get my revenge, but get it I will! A thousand plans on my wall to attain godhood! And one plan to become lord of hell! First you had the gall to challenge me to a battle of wits, and then you had the bile-inducing tenacity to wear my costume and parade around as me? You have no idea who I am, but before the millennium is out, you will know! I was never in your trap… you were in mine! Simply by entering my castle all those long years ago you have sealed your fate! I! AM! DOOM!"

Tears of molten lead ran down Arcade's face, and he managed to choke out a scream of pure terror through his vent. Doom picked the screaming Arcade up by the leg and dragged him across the scalding charcoal plains into hell.


	10. Chpt 10 The World Keeps On Spinning

_**Chapter Ten; In Which The Wolrd Keeps Spinning**_

_Face Front True Believers_

_**Stan Lee**_

**Three Days Later;**

After everybody had surrendered, the Avengers managed to get on the phone with the president. He had some choice words for agent Toynbee. After that, the crowd of ghostly warriors began to disperse. They had some words with each other. Captain America gave Steve a friendly nod and a 'keep up the good work'. Wolverine turned his nose up at Leo. Then Leo stabbed him, and he admitted he wasn't the worst choice for the job. Daredevil gave Oceana a pep talk about not pushing loved ones away, and always making every day count. Spider-man talked to Sofia about power and responsibility, then gave her a few tips on how to outthink enemies instead of outfighting them. Deadpool… well, in the space of four minutes he managed to talk to Alex about everything from the importance of brushing teeth between meals, to how to kill a rogue Santa Claus without ruining Christmas, to the proper way to use a soup spoon, to who actually shot J.F.K., to catching bullets with a picture of Chuck Norris, to talking for hours straight without breathing. And then he talked for ten more minutes before the dead warriors went back to Valhalla.

Now, they were about to go out into a press conference. The president had been busy for the past day. He had to try and fix several issues with the law pertaining to superheroes, which proved difficult since none of the senators remembered anything about them. He had a pretty good handle on things for now, so the Avengers decided it was time to show the world what was going on.

Captain America sat on a folding chair waiting for the big reveal. Sandman and Thunderstrike were talking about finding the avatars for the three other pantheons and starting the Defenders. He'd told them it was okay, so long as the two of them were still in the Avengers.

Deadpool was talking about their superpowers to Chance and Angel. According to Hank's power sensors, Deadpool had the power to use the strength, speed, powers, or skills of anybody he beat in a fight. Scarlet Spider could teleport. Wolverine was all but indestructible. Daredevil could see a full minute into the future.

Daredevil and Wolverine were in a corner, talking. Daredevil was still fingering the ring which Wolverine had slipped onto her finger not too long ago. Scarlet Spider was next to them, making gagging noises whenever things got too mushy. Whenever she noticed, that is. She was far too engrossed in a comic book, _The Night Gwen Stacey Died_.

"Oh, don't look so sorry for yourself." Gwen said, coming up from behind him.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't mean to depress you."

"Well you do." Gwen frowned. "You do realize we won?"

"I know." He sighed.

"No, you don't know." She said. "We. Won. Get that through your head. You overcame your obstacles, you beat Doom, you're exposing heroism into the world, you're about to inspire millions."

"But the Green Goblin is still out there."

"And you beat him once." She said. "Together. And when he comes out again, you'll beat him again."

Cap smiled. "Thanks Gwen."

"It's my job." She smiled.

"Public Relations agent for the Avengers doesn't require you to cheer me up." He said.

"It's my job as your girlfriend." She smiled.

He smiled back. "So… did you get the speech that I'm supposed to read?"

"The Avenger's address?" She grimaced. "Yes, I've got it."

"That bad?"

"Dreadful." She handed him a sheet of paper. He read it, and raised an eyebrow.

"This doesn't look so bad. In fact, this is great."

"That's because it's the speech I wrote to replace it." She smiled.

"You're the best Gwen." He got up, kissed her, and went to the Avengers.

"Alright team." He said, standing among them. "We've had a rough start. It feels like it's been a lifetime since we used to be the Nancy Street Gang. Ben died." He nodded at him. "Oceana got her eyes gouged out." He gestured to her. "And we all got beaten around like a group of rag dolls in a kindergarten playroom. But we survived. We won. And now, here we are, hopefully about to inspire a new age of heroes."

"Can we be action figures?" Deadpool asked. "I want my own action figure."

"Yes, we can all have action figures." Cap smiled. "Well, we're going to go out there now. And we're going to show the world that heroes aren't just confined to the pages of fiction. Chance, Angel," The two of them looked up, Chance with a pale face. "I know you feel like you didn't pass the old man's test. But you came through for us in the end. We would be honored if you would consider staying with the Avengers."

Chance was stunned for a moment, then grinned slightly. "If it's alright with you Cap, you won't hear me complaining."

"You're on in five guys." Gwen said.

"I just want you guys to know, no matter what happens, we'll have to keep fighting. Because if we give up, if we surrender, then all of this will have been for nothing. People need heroes. They need somebody to aspire to. If the old man hadn't come along, and told us about heroes, we'd still be a street gang, trying our hardest just to survive instead of reaching for our full potential. Now, it's our turn to show the world what true heroism is. That's what we've been fighting for; not to be heroes, but to be legends. Inspirations. And it will be hard, but as long as I live and breathe, I'll be right there with you." He smiled. "Now, what do you say we go out there and spread the legends of the Avengers?"

"All for one, and one for all!" Deadpool yelled, placing his hand in the center of the group. Cap put his hand on top of it. Then Scarlet, then Wolverine and Daredevil, then Thunderstrike, then Sandman, then Chance and Angel. And lastly, Gwen.

"You're on now Captain." She smiled.

Captain America went out, standing tall. On the other side of the curtain, a room full of press agents stared at him, and what seemed like hundreds of cameras flashed. The federal agent had finished his explanation to the crowd, his tale of mind-erasing technology, and comic book heroes. Some laughed at his costume, then they died down when they realized it was no joke. This was really a man wearing red, white, and blue, addressing an international audience. They whispered among themselves, wondering how far the FBI were going to go with this charade; this gimmick. Heroes weren't real.

Captain America stood at the podium, listening. He could hear their doubts. He could feel them. He had the same worries, the same fears. He worried he wasn't adequate. He worried that he wasn't worthy to represent his great nation. He worried that when the next crisis came, he would have a heart attack at the wrong second and die.

Then he thought; _I'm Captain America. I don't care about any of that._

"Avengers! Assemble!"

The crowd froze as a sandstorm swept through the stage. It settled, and the Sandman materialized with a smile. A silver bolt of lightning shot out of the stage, and Thunderstrike appeared, walking into the stage in all of his glory. Scarlet Spider teleported Deadpool, Daredevil, and Wolverine onstage. Chance and Angel floated down next to them.

"_Hello New York. Hello United States of America. Hello world. I'm Captain America. And I know what you're thinking; you're thinking this is a cheap trick. A publicity stunt. Actors, CGI, smoke, mirrors, strings, American propaganda, anything. You're thinking that we'd have to be anything but the truth; we'd have to be anything but Avengers." _

"_But we are, as you'll come to know soon enough. Every word Agent Maxwell has said, is the sincere and sober truth. And really, why shouldn't it be? Is it so hard to believe that heroes exist? Is it so hard to believe that good people can stand up to what they know is wrong, and refuse to back down? It's been done in the past; there is empirical evidence proving this. Disregarding comic books, disregarding myths and legends, you still have Washington, Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and a host of historical heroes. My friends and I were protecting people before we had powers, as do the police men, firemen, army and navy. All of these inspirational symbols of mankind, and it's so hard to believe that we're not some sort of con?"_

"_We are not here to claim to be your saviors. We are not here to make evil obsolete. Evil cannot be eradicated; it will always find some way to survive. But let me tell you this; so will good. Good endures as much as evil, and for every arsonist there will be a fireman, for every criminal a police officer, and for every bully insistent on preying on the weak and defenseless there is an Avenger, willing to protect them."_

"_We have been burdened with a great power. The power to choose whether or not to be a hero or a civilian. We could leave you be. Many people never have to choose to be heroes or not (Thank goodness). Some people can go their whole lives without an opportunity to rise or to fall. We have been given the power to rise beyond anybody's expectations. And we could let you go on, thinking comic book weren't real, living your lives the way you normally would. We could spare you the disbelieving looks on your faces right now. But we'd be lying, not only to you but to ourselves." _

"_If any of you saw a girl on the side of the road crying, wouldn't you help her? If any of you saw a man being tortured and could stop it, wouldn't you? If any of you could protect people who had no way of protecting themselves, why wouldn't you go in full force and save them? That's who we are. That's who the Avengers are. We're you, and you, and everybody and anybody who gets the opportunity to spit in the face of darkness, and takes the chance no matter how scared they may be." _

"_We are Avengers! We're here to climb the uphill slope! We're to help in situations where there's no more hope! We're here to avenge injustice and that's exactly what we're going to do! And __as long as any one of us can still breath, the very pits of hell will quake in fear and the most hardened of criminals and the most deranged of sociopaths will flee in sheer terror, when they hear our call!"_

"_**Avengers! Assemble!"**_

**_

* * *

_**

**Las Vegas...**

King Midas combed his golden hair with a 24 karat comb as he watched the news. "It appears troubled times are ahead my Enforcers." The mutant crime lord who could turn anything into gold with a touch turned in his swivel chair and eyed his Enforcers through his faceless gold mask. "At least we'll have the Hood's territory before we meet the Avengers."

Hook, Line, and Sinker nodded their approval. The Avengers would change things. But they'd be ready for it. Midas was always ready.

* * *

**A Small Island In The Carribean...**

Norman Osborn hefted the two-ton dumbbells over his head and set them down. He wiped some of the sweat off of himself and walked down his personal gym, past his pool, and onto the veranda of his private mansion. He laid back in a lawn chair, looking over the island he'd built for himself, down on the small village he ruled. He looked away from the sight, and to the lawn chair next to him.

There, empty, refurbished, and laid out on the chair, was his costume. The real one. The Green Goblin. Oh, how long had it been? He glanced at the two pictures hanging in the locker's door. Alex and Sofia. He rubbed his sides where the scars still hadn't gone away. He wished them luck and a long life, but if they got in his way, he'd have to kill them. And he wouldn't lose an ounce of sleep over it.

He began to laugh. A small chuckle at first, then building into a hearty cackle. He got up, pulling the Green Goblin's mask on, and looked out onto his island with his real face. He picked up one of his more expensive golf clubs and bashed the pictures off the wall. His laughing began to go quiet and he went back to sipping his martini with a grin.

* * *

**WWE Headquarters...**

Danny 'Big Bad' Wolff was tired. He'd bested everybody in the ring of honor. Everybody. His coach had to try and poison his food to fix matches, because it was so easy he'd get bored of pretending to be beaten and just get the match over with.

But now there was another challenge. This one was outside the UFC, but that was just semantics. Captain America. A worthy adversary.

* * *

**A Dairy Queen In North Dakota...**

Country singer Joe Wheaton and Governor of North Dakota, Francis Drake, rushed into the local Dairy Queen side by side. It was packed with famous faces, and everybody turned to the teenage girl working the counter.

"Fear not my loyal warriors." The girl's skin turned green. "The invasion will continue as planned. We'll just have to make some… alterations."

* * *

**An Undisclosed Loaction In Los Angeles...**

Robar, the last son of Atlantis watched the news through the window of the electronics store. He felt the Atlantian sting whip under his clothes. The weapon had belonged to his father before he died trying to save Atlantis from the surface dwellers.

Robar checked the hood of his jacket, making sure nobody could see his blue skin, and walked into Los Angeles, determined to have justice.

* * *

**Somewhere South...**

Marine combat boots walked across the wooden floor, crushing glass bottles in its path. "Come out children." A gray haired man said. "It's all right."

The small faces peeked out from behind the door. They couldn't see much in the low light, but they could see the exit and they could see there was nobody in their way. They ran.

As they left, Reverend Hawke put away his guns and watched the press on T.V. The Avengers were right. Somebody had to take a stand. He crossed himself and muttered, "Father forgive me, for I have sinned." He followed the children outside, stepping over the corpses of their slavers. Some men were past redemption. Some men just had to be punished before they can darken the world with more sin.

It's time for him to do the lord's work.

* * *

**Mount Sinai Hospital...**

Many times in ages past, Zeus had come to earth and born a son or daughter. Robert Johnson's great-great-great- grandmother, was one of those children. The blood of the gods ran through his veins, and he had shown courage where none was expected. He was to be rewarded.

Hephaestus fitted him with new legs and he got up from his hospital bed. Then Zeus struck him with a lightning bolt, and he rose from the ground, power flowing through his veins.

The gods of the East and the gods of the South joined in, spanning the globe in their searches for avatars.

The gods were coming back to earth.

* * *

**The Savage Lands...**

O'Challa prince of New Wakanda rode out on his velociraptor steed. In the middle of a field just outside the Savage land's northern borders and just shy of the great bear lake, princess Arsenal of the Inhumans waited for him.

He got off his mount and she pulled him into a kiss. They smiled and sat by the lake, discussing how to keep their families from fighting, and how the outside world was progressing. At one point, O'Challa got out a radio, and they began listening to Captain America's address. Looking out over the lake, they held hands. And they prepared for a better world.

* * *

**Los Angeles...**

Juggernaut landed the final punch on Jack Savage, leader of the street gang known as the Highwaymen. Once his mutant powers had been triggered, Cerebro had managed to pick him up in time for the X-men to stop him from robbing a jewelry store with his gang, but not from revealing himself as a mutant to his gang and now to most of Los Angeles.

"Well, about time." Juggernaut muttered, rubbing his knuckles.

Owlboy turned to the busted entrance to the store. "Company." He said. The police had arrived, and began to approach cautiously with some of the more inquisitive civilians behind them. "Here comes the mutant hating Jubilee warned us about. Brace for impact everybody."

They all waited for the wave of shouting and fear to come, but it didn't. Instead, one of the policeman slowly started to clap. Then his partner, and then the rest of the cops, and soon everybody outside of the store was cheering and whooping.

"What's going on?" Juggernaut asked, confused. "Not that I'm complaining but…"

Owlboy stroked his chin thoughtfully, and a grin slowly spread over his face. "Of course. That was in Jubilee's day. This new generation… they've grown up reading comic books about the X-men… idolizing them as heroes… they see mutants just like anybody else, except with superpowers." He smiled broadly. "This is a brand new day team. We don't have to hide any longer."

* * *

**Chicago...**

Red Raptor looked out over Chicago. If you'd told him two months ago that he'd be a superhero, he would have laughed. He was only fifteen years old, and he was constantly tormented by bullies for being the school nerd. He hated them. He hated them for thinking they could do whatever they wanted just because they were stronger. Well now he was stronger.

Ever since the class camping trip, where the bullies snuck him away from camp and tossed him into the river. How could they know it was a waste dumping ground for a shady chemicals plant? They couldn't. But they threw him in anyway, and now he had amazing powers.

Now he was the predator, the raptor in the skies, and the people down below who preyed on the weak and helpless were about to become prey themselves. Welcome to the cold steel jungle of Chicago. He was the top of the food chain.

He heard a scream for help and dislodged himself from the precipice, like a gargoyle come to life. And he protected the people from predators.

* * *

**The United Kingdoms...**

Stein looked up from his wiring. "There. Try it out now Gargan."

The withered old man stretched, and in his new Scorpion suit he felt like he was twenty again. "I got to hand it to you Stein, you are the single smartest idiot in the world."

"I aim to please." He twirled his wire cutters and slotted them into his tool belt. "How about you Todd?"

Mark Todd came out, dressed in a full black bodysuit with a red skull painted on the mask. "The blazing skull lives again!" He cackled wildly.

"Are you guys sure you want to do this?" Hermes asked them.

"I've got two years to live at most, and I'm not going to waste them." Gargan said. "Do it."

"Alright." Hermes pressed the button on his phone that sent the add to the yellow pages of the United Kingdom's phone book. "Heroes for Hire is officially back in business."

* * *

**A Curch Triangulated Between Loch Ness, The Bermuda Triangle, and Stonehedge...**

Alan Moore had recently return from his vacation in the fire pits of the seventh dimension to find earth in this new state of affairs. And he was pleased. He himself had turned down the role of Sorcerer Supreme, because he had found it took away from his 'me' time. He was glad it was in the hands of somebody who could properly protect earth.

He strolled into the Great Sky Cathedral, sipping wine distilled with blood from the heart of a Germanic fire dragon from a goblet made of the charred skull of Vincent van Gogh. Grant Morrison walked a short distance behind him, his vest filled of more gadgets than Batman's utility belt.

They walked into the old cathedral. "Well, well." Alan Moore said into the darkness. "If it isn't the Prince of Darkness himself." Morrison struck a flare and tossed it into the darkness. The grotesque gargoyles within scattered at the light, leaving only Joe Queseda to glare at him.

"Moore & Morrison. I knew you two were on my trail."

"Naturally." Moore smiled driely. "You should have checked the corpse twice. You know Rucka doesn't die easy. Now, on authorization of the Order Of Stan, We're come to take you in." Moore tapped his skull goblet with his finger, waiting patiently for Quesada to make his day.

He complied. "Very well then, come and have it." Joe chuckled. "But know, that when you choose to fight me, you face all the powers of hell!" He burst into flame, and a pair of draconic eyes glowed in the darkness.

The two smiled. "Hey do they always turn into giant reptiles?" Morrison quipped, taking a grappling hook and a flame gun from his jacket.

Moore gestured. "I'd assume it's for the theatrics. You have five minutes before I finish him off. Enjoy." As Morrison leaped forward, Moore reached into his beard, and took out a mystery novel. By the time he'd solved it, Quesada was screaming for mercy. It hadn't even been four minutes.

* * *

**The Bon Chere Casino, New Orleans...**

Remy LeBeau sat in his deathbed. "Well, would you look at that?" He rasped to nobody in particular. "My son's a hero. My son's an Avenger even! My son is on live television, telling the world that he's going to make it a better place. Heh. Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Neither did I." A kind looking man in a black Italian suit sat by his bedside. He had long golden hair and a pair of large black wings. "You know, for somebody who has as many father issues as you do, you sure raised a great son. You should be proud."

"I am." Remy said, disconnecting his I.V. "So proud. Is it my time, reaper?"

"It was your time twenty minutes ago." The angel of death replied. "I just thought you'd like to see that."

"Thank you." Remy wiped the tears from his eyes. "Thank you. I appreciate it." He stepped onto the floor. His feet were suddenly covered in boots, and he wore the clothes he'd worn in his days as an X-man. He looked in his bedside mirror. He looked twenty again. He looked back on his decrepid body in his bed.

The wall to his room opened up, and a black limousine rolled into the room. "Normally you'd have to make the ride alone." The grim reaper said. "But… well, you try telling her something's against the rules." He opened the limousine door, and bright light shone into the room.

"Remy…" A voice whispered from inside the car.

"Mon Chere…" Remy LeBeau got into the limousine, smiling.

The grim reaper closed the door and turned to the television. "Good luck." He said to Cap. "Not that you'll need it." And he went into the drivers seat, and drove away.

_**C'est Fin**_

* * *

_And they ask, "What is a Hero?"_

_though the answer's very clear,_

_He's the one who faces danger_

_when the darkness hovers near._

_He will face the fiercest foe_

_when another needs his aid,_

_He will dare to defy Death_

_even though he is afraid,_

_He works not just for glory_

_and he does it not for gain,_

_But because he knows that others_

_will be spared a greater pain._

_He won't always follow orders,_

_for he dares to answer, "Why?"_

_And unless he likes the reason,_

_he refuses to comply,_

_He will brave the battle boldly_

_even though he may not win,_

_He will face his fate unflinching,_

_for he is a Paladin._

_And they ask "What is a Hero?"_

_though the answer's evident,_

_He's the one who faces death_

_knowing that his life's well spent._


End file.
